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DARK   DAYS   IN    CHILE 


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AN  ACCOUNT  OF 


THE    EEYOLUTIOI^    OF    1891 


BY 


MAURICE   H.  HERVEY 


Special  Correspondent  of  'The  Times' 


WITH  FIFTEEN  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 


LONDON:    EDWAED   AENOLD 

NEW    YOEK:    MAGMILLAN     &      OO 

1892 

All  rights  reserved 


v^ 


af'SE 


PREFACE 


Whatever  may  be  the  verdict  in  store  for  this 
volume,  it  may  at  least  claim  the  merit  of  being 
a  faithful  record  of  the  writer's  experiences,  obser- 

Ivations,  and  convictions.  With  the  exception  o 
the  last  chapter,  the  book  is  based  upon  notes 
made  regularly  and  methodically  in  Chile.  And 
,  that  the  author's  views  upon  the  merits  of  the 
political  questions  at  issue  are  not  those  com- 
monly held  by  his  fellow-countrymen  is  entirely 
I  due  to  the  conflicting  sources  of  information  upon 
which  those  views  are  respectively  based.  Whether 
Jose  Manuel  Balmaceda  was  a  bloodthirsty,  tyrant 
J  or  a  well-meaning,  if  also  ill-advised,  patriot,  will 
not   be   decided,  either   in   or   out  of   Chile,   until 


•ft     1  >     •     /r»/~>»\ 


vi  PREFACE 

men's   minds   shall  have  overcome  the  bitter  par- 
tisan feeling  begotten  by  civil  war. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  Messrs.  Laird  Bros.,  for 
kindly  lending  photographs  of  the  Imperial  and 
other  vessels  built  by  them,  for  the  purposes  of 
illustration  ;  and  to  the  proprietors  of  Black  and 
White,  for  permission  to  reproduce  some  sketches 
that  appeared  in  its  pages. 

Maurice  H.  Hervey. 

London,  November,  1891. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

OUTWABD      BOUND. 

Modern  Journalism — A  Voyage  at  Short  Notice — The 
Porttigal — My  Fellow-Travellers — Discipline  v.  Gal- 
lantry— Dakar — A  Moribund  King  and  his  Subjects — 
Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Monte  Video — Buenos  Aires — A 
Contrast  ------ 

CHAPTER  II. 

ARGENTINA. 

An  Interview  with  President  Pellegrini — The  Man  with 
the  Iron  Mask — British  Preponderance — A  Good  Time 
— I  form  an  Opinion  upon  the  Argentine  Situation — 
*  Go  on  to  Chile  ' — Pellegrini's  Opinion  of  Balmaceda 
— Sensational  Telegrams— The  Andes  reported  infested 
by  Bandits — I  engage  a  Fighting  Secretary — And  take 


a  Frenchman  under  my  Wing    -  -  -  -       14 


b 


CHAPTER  III. 

CROSSING     THE     ANDES, 


Long  Rail  Journey — Travelling  en  Prince — Mendoza 

—  A  Lift  to  Uspallata  —  Fifty  Miles  on  a  *  Cow- 
catcher '  —  Scenery  —  Uspallata  —  A  Lost  Child  on 
my    Hands  —  Roughing    it — A    Facetious    Muleteer 

—  A  Dry  Stage  —  An  Independent  Yankee  —  Rio 
Blanco — Las  Vacas — A  Goatherd-subscriber  to  the 
Times — Montes  Corrales — Monte  de  Los  Penitentes — A 
Mule  Race — '  Corresponsal '  wins — Val  de  la  Tolorzia 
— Cajou  del  Rio  de  Las  Cuevas — Puente  del  Inca — A 
Posada — A  Night  in  a  Menagerie — The  Juncal  Volcano 
— The  Summit  of  the  Cordillera — A  Slippery  Descent 
— Lake  Portillo — A  Primitive  Hostelry — The  Soldier's 
Leap — The  Meeting  of  the  Waters — Juncal — A  Wild 
Drive — Santa  Rosa  de  Los  Andes  -  -  -      30 


viii  '  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEE  IV. 

CHILE   AND   ITS   CONDITION. 

PAGE 

Santiago — A  State  of  Siege — Eevolutionist  Opinions  of 
President  Balmaceda — Wanted,  Evidence — I  hear  the 
other  Side  of  the  Question — An  Interview  with  Balma- 
ceda— His  Views — A  Eeview  of  the  Situation — A  Sketch 
of  ChiUan  Society — Chile  and  British  Enterprise — 
Colonel  North  and  his  Mission — Dr.  Eussell  upon 
*  Chile  and  the  Nitrate  Fields  ' — Eeahzed  Prophecy — 
Eevolutionary  Tactics — I  arrive  at  Conclusions — Eight 
or  Wrong  ?         -  -  -  -  -  -      62 


CHAPTEE  V. 

THE   TEOUBLES   OP   A    SPECIAL    COEEESPONDENT. 

How  to  correspond — Telegraph  Lines  closed  —  Mails 
supervised — An  Ultimatum  to  the  Government — Pozo 
al  Monte — A  Eeview  of  Government  Troops — Opinion 
in  the  Provinces — My  Lost  Child  gets  into  Trouble — 
Valparaiso — Opinion  there — An  Expedition  against  the 
Eevolted  Fleet — A  Tempting  Offer — I  accept — My 
Fighting  Secretary  deserts  me — And  follows  in  the 
Footsteps  of  my  Lost  Child — Stick  v.  Bayonet — Poli- 
tical Memoranda — The  Times  and  I — *  Go,  but  wire 
Facts  only ' — An  Interview  with  Eear-Admiral  Hotham 
— I  refuse  Good  Advice  -  -  -  -      112 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

MY   FIEST   CEUISE   WITH   THE    SQUADEON. 

A  Difference  of  Opinion — Practice  makes  Perfect — The 
Plan  of  Operations^ — A  Compromise — E71  route  for  Cal- 
dera — We  lose  our  Consorts — Stirring  News — Fever  on 
Board — A  Warning — The  Sinking  of  the  Blanco  En- 
calada — The  Quartermaster's  Yarn — Valparaiso — Cap- 
tain Moraga's  Account  of  the  Blanco  Exploit — *  One 
Good  Turn  deserves  Another  ' — The  Eevolutionists  try 
Orsini  Tactics — A  Chilian  Heroine — The  Elections      -     158 


CONTENTS  '  IX 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MY      SECOND      CRUISE. 

PAOE 

The  Plan  of  Operations — Troops  for  Coquimbo — Scenes 
on  Board — Coquimbo — British  Naval  Station — La 
Serena — Moraga's  Advice  to  Admiral  Hotham — ^n 
route  for  Iquique — Coaling  at  Sea — I  tranship  to  the 
Condell — A  Contrast — A  Desperate  Adventure — *  The 
Last  Watch ' — Captain  Cook — Moraga  the  Wolf —  Un 
Mauvais  Quart  d'Heure — In  Iquique  Harbour — The 
Union  Jack  saves  the  Rebel  Transports — An  Alarm — 
A  Difficult  Torpedo-shot — Moraga's  Dilemma — The 
Ironclad  Cochrane  bears  down — A  Harebrained  Ex- 
ploit— What  the  Prisoners  said  and  did — Northward 
to  sink  the  O'Higgins  in  a  Peruvian  Port — A  Sea- 
Lawyer — The  Huascar  and  the  Magellanes — A  Naval 
Skirmish — Adios — Moraga  the  Lamb — A  Clever  Ruse 
— Captain  Cook  saves  us — A  Naval  Duel  declined — 
We  rejoin  the  Imperial — Bombardment  of  Iquique  — 
Bombardment  of  Taltal — An  Attack  in  Boats — Capture 
of  Taltal — A  Banquet  and  a  Bill — Coquimbo — Val- 
paraiso -------     189 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

MY   THIED   CRUISE. 

A  Spell  Ashore — Chilian  News  from  Abroad — Balmaceda 
beheves  in  Moral  Effect — At  Sea  once  more — A  Tempt- 
ing Bait — A  Narrow  Escape  —  Pisagua  bombarded — 
Iquique  bombarded — Tocopilla  captured — Nitrate- 
duties  for  Balmaceda  —  The  British  Vice-Consul's 
Opinion — Antofagasta  bombarded — A  Deserted  Village 
—  Chanaral — The  Condell  in  Peril — Reprisals — A 
Starving  Population — Mr.  Sherriff's  Account — The 
hnjperial  becomes  an  Emigrant  Ship — A  delayed  Tele- 
gram— Farewells  -  .  _  .  .    224 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOMEWARD      BOUND. 

K   How   I   missed   the   Liguria — A  Hot  Ten  Minutes — A 
■       Friend  in  Need — Travelling  made  Easy — A  Meeting — 


CONTENTS 


Story — Magellan  Straits — A  Wreck — Monte  Video— 
Rio  de  Janeiro — Bahia — A  Negro  Polyglot — Pernam- 
buco — Lisbon — The  Errazimz  —  Plymouth — Home, 
Sweet  Home!    -  -  -  -  -  -    252 


CHAPTEE  X. 

THE  TEIUMPH  OF  THE  EEVOLUTION. 

*  Back  from  the  Grave  ' — Smart  Paragraphing — News 
from  Chile — The  Gumming  Incident — The  Invasion — 
A  Glose  Shave — Barbosa  the  Eash — The  Battle  of 
Colmo  or  Goncon — The  Attack  upon  Vina  del  Mar — 
Strategy — The  Insurgent  Army  receives  Accessions — 
Balmaceda  a  Bad  Strategist — The  Battle  of  Placilla — 
Eesults — Sauve  qui  peut — The  Lynch  caught  Napping 
— A  *  Eevel  of  Fiends ' — How  the  Triumph  was  cele- 
brated in  Santiago  —  Balmaceda  vanishes  —  Senor 
Montt  and  the  Eump — '  Gonvey,  the  Wise  it  call ' — A 
Model  Correspondent — Balmaceda's  alleged  Suicide — 
Prospects  of  Future  Peace — The  Trouble  with  the 
United  States — How  to  bring  about  a  Conservative 
Eeaction — Conclusion    -  -  -  -  .    268 


Note  on  the  Chilian  Constitution  -            -            -            -  310 

Appendix  A. — The  Transandine  Eailway              -            -  315 

„        B.— The  Value  of  Torpedoes  in  Naval  Warfare  320 

„        C. — Chilian  Characteristics  and  Customs         -  327 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

POBTEAiT  OF  THE  AUTHOR  .....    Frontispiece 

PUBNTA      DEL      INCA,     ON     THE      ROUTE     OF     THE     TRANSANDINE     RAIL- 
WAY      .-...- 
ATTACK  ON  THE   'COCHRANE'   BY  TORPEDO-BOATS 
BOMBARDMENT  OF  IQUIQUE 
J0S6   MANUEL  BALMACEDA 


REVIEW   OF   TROOPS   AT   VALPARAISO 

THE  ARMED  CRUISER    '  IMPERIAL  ' 

DON  CLAUDIO  VICUNA 

CAPTAIN   CARLOS   MORAGA 

A  CHILIAN   HEROINE 

THE   TORPEDO  VESSEL   '  CON  DELL  ' 

THE    'HUASCAR'  - 

CHILIAN   SOLDIERS 

AFTER  THE  BATTLE 

RUINS   IN  VALPARAISO       - 


33 
75 
79 
87 
117 
133 
149 
161 
183 
199 
235 
247 
285 
297 


DARK   DAYS   IN   CHILE 


5l«<C 


CHAPTER  I. 


OUTWARD      BOUND. 

Modern  Journalism — A  Voyage  at  Short  Notice — The  Porticgal 
— My  Fellow-Travellers — Discipline  v.  Gallantry — Dakar — 
A  Moribund  Ejng  and  his  Subjects — Eio  de  Janeiro — Monte 
Video — Buenos  Aires — A  Contrast. 

Perhaps  few  persons  who  daily  scan  the  great 
London  journals  for  foreign  intelligence  ever  pause 
■  to  reflect  upon  the  marvellous  foresight,  energy,  and 
expense  necessary  to  produce  results  which  can  be 
purchased  by  the  readers  for  a  few  pence.  Let  them, 
however,  but  consider  the  number  and  the  length 
of  the  telegrams,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  pub- 
lished in  any  ordinary  number  of,  say,  the  Times, 
supplemented,  as  these  are,  by  descriptive  letters 
from  correspondents,  and  they  will  be  constrained 
to  admit  that  modern  journalism  spares  nothing  to 
maintain  its  position  in  the  vanguard  of  modern  pro- 
gress. Let  but  aught  of  public  interest  occur  in 
the  most  distant  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  forthwith 


DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


an  envoy  is  despatched  to  inquire  into  the  matter. 
Thus  it  fell  to  the  writer's  lot,  early  in  the  present 
year,  to  be  selected  for  service  in  South  America, 
when  the  vexed  question  of  Argentine  finance  and 
the  recent  outbreak  of  civil  war  in  Chile  had 
become  topics  of  considerable  interest  to  English 
readers.  My  orders  were  clear  and  concise.  I 
was  to  get  to  Buenos  Aires  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, and  I  was  to  report  upon  what  I  saw  to 
the  best  of  my  judgment.  A  few  inquiries  made 
it  plain  that  the  first  steamer  would  leave  Bor- 
deaux upon  the  4th  of  February  ;  and  within 
twenty-four  hours  of  receiving  my  instructions 
I  had  bidden  farewell  to  my  friends,  and  was 
en  route  for  Paris.  There  I  had  but  barely 
time  for  an  interview  with  General  Mitre,  the 
popular  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  Argen- 
tina, to  telegraph  the  results  of  the  said  inter- 
view to  the  Times,  and  to  catch  the  night  mail 
for  Bordeaux.  I  had  even  less  time  to  spare 
here,  for  I  arrived  at  8  a.m.,  and  the  Messageries 
Maritimes  steamer  Portugal,  lying  some  thirty 
miles  down  the  Garonne,  was  due  to  sail  two 
hours  later.  I  followed  the  mail-bags,  well  know- 
ing that  she  could  not  start  until  they  were 
aboard,  was  politely  accommodated  upon  the 
mail-tender,  and  got  safely  on  deck  at  least  ten 
minutes  before  the  good  ship  steamed  away  from 
La  Belle  France. 

A  fine  boat  of  4,500  tons  is  this  same  Portugal, 


OUTWARD  BOUND 


and  fairly  well  up  to  date  in  the  matter  of  speed. 
By  the  captain  and  his  officers  I  was  treated  from 
the  first,  and  throughout  the  voyage,  with  the  most 
marked  courtesy,  the  commissaire  making  himself 
especially  amiable  in  the  important  matters  of 
a  most  comfortable  cabin  (all  to  myself)  and  a 
seat  of  honour  at  table.  Doubtless  the  facts  that 
I  was  the  only  Englishman  on  board,  and  special 
corresj)ondent  du  grand  journal  Anglais,  com- 
bined to  secure  for  me  all  these  attentions,  of 
which  I  shall  always  have  the  most  pleasant 
recollections.  Fortunately,  French  is  almost  as 
familiar  to  me  as  my  mother -tongue,  so  that 
within  a  very  few  hours  I  felt  thoroughly  chez  moi. 
Life  on  board  an  ocean-going  steamer  has  been 
described  so  often  and  so  well,  by  far  cleverer 
pens  than  mine,  that  I  need  not  dwell  at  any 
great  length  upon  this  portion  of  my  late  ex- 
periences. A  few  points  of  comparison  between 
English  and  French  mail  services  may,  however, 
be  of  interest  to  intending  travellers.  Nor  can 
I  wholly  overlook  my  fellow-passengers. 

As  regards  accommodation,  attendance,  manage- 
ment generally,  there  is  little,  or  nothing,  to  choose 
between  the  two — both  are  as  good  as  can  reason- 
ably be  expected. 

With  respect  to  the  important  (to  many  persons 
-  the  all-important)  subject  of  the  cuisine,  the  sys- 
I  tems  differ  widely — in  accordance,  of  course,  with 


I 


DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


solid  meals  (breakfast,  lunch,  and  dinner)  are  pro- 
vided, whereas  their  French  rivals,  condensing 
breakfast  and  lunch  into  one  repast,  supply  but 
two.  People,  as  a  rule,  eat  a  great  deal  too  much 
on  board  ship,  wnere  the  opportunities  for  exercise 
are  so  limited,  and  the  temptations  to  lie  down,  or 
sit,  so  great.  And,  for  this  reason,  the  French 
plan  is  probably  the  better.  Again,  the  French 
dishes  are  far  daintier  and  lighter  than  their  Eng- 
lish equivalents,  and  consequently  better  suited  to 
most  stomachs  at  sea. 

But  in  one  noteworthy  particular  the  English 
regulations  show  to  distinct  advantage  :  separation 
of  the  second-class  from  the  first-class  passengers. 
Upon  the  Portugal  both  classes  had  equal  access 
to  the  promenade  deck,  and  as  we  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  carry  a  troup  of  theatrical  artistes,  male 
and  female,  bound  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  presence 
of  certain  members  of  the  band,  travelling  second 
class,  was  a  very  distinct  nuisance.  So  intolerable, 
in  fact,  did  the  noisy,  and  at  times  indecorous, 
behaviour  of  these  young  women  become,  that  even 
the  commissaire's  sense  of  gallantry  gave  way. 
After  several  ineffectual  warnings,  he  had  no  alter- 
native but  to  relegate  the  most  obstreperous  fair 
ones  to  confinement  in  their  cabins  ;  after  which 
there  was  a  marked  improvement  in  the  behaviour 
of  those  still  left  at  large.  The  directors  of  the 
Messageries  Mari times  would  do  well  to  rectify  this 
serious  defect  in   their   otherwise  excellently  con- 


OUTWARD  BOUND 


I 


ducted  service.  It  is  at  present  a  very  distinct 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  securing  the  patronage  of 
English  travellers  who  do  not  believe  in  liberty, 
fraternity,  equality — and  least  of  all  on  board  ship, 

A  few  pleasant  companions  are  essential  to  one's 
existence  at  sea ;  and  it  so  chanced  that  a  trio  of 
foreign  financiers  needed  a  fourth  to  make  up  that 
best  of  all  evening  pastimes,  whist.  Into  this  little 
set  I  at  once  dropped,  and  we  contrived  to  sustain 
each  other  s  spirits  admirably  up  to  the  very  end 
of  the  voyage. 

One  never-failing  source  of  amusement  lay  in 
the  masher-like  propensities  of  the  eldest  of  the 
trio.  Monsieur  P ,  a  gentleman  of  consider- 
able means,  had  brought  his  confidential  valet  with 
him,  and  (there  being  nothing  else  to  do)  made  it  a 
point  to  change  his  attire  at  least  half-a-dozen  times 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  How  many  suits  he  had 
brought  with  him  was  a  problem  we  others  at- 
tempted in  vain  to  solve.  Day  after  day  the 
changes  went  on,  and,  apparently,  the  same  suit 
never  did  duty  twice.  To  me,  who  affect  flannels 
until  dinner-time  in  warm  latitudes,  there  was 
something  almost  fascinating  in  these  chameleon- 
like mutations.  You  might  be  pacing  the  deck 
discussing  the  latest  phase  of  the  Baring  failure 

with  Monsieur  P ,  clothed  in  some  rare  shade 

of  gray.  An  idea  would  suddenly  strike  him. 
'  You  would  excuse  him  for  a  little  moment  ?'  And 
in    an    incredibly   short   space   of  time    he    would 


DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


reappear  clad  in  immaculate  white.  Yet  if,  an 
hour  later,  you  discerned  a  blue  velveteen  coat  in 
the  saloon,  you  would  discover  the  owner  of  that 
coat,  carefully  preparing  an  absinthe,  to  be  Mon- 
sieur P .      Of  jewellery,  also,  he  had  enough 

to  stock  an  average  shop,  and  rang  in  the  changes 
with  equal  originality  and  effect.  No  vulgarity 
about  the  man.  Having  an  extraordinary  taste 
for  dress,  and  the  means  of  gratifying  it,  he  clearly 
humoured  his  fancy  for  his  own  satisfaction.  Un- 
fortunately, there  were  no  young  ladies  on  board, 
with  the  exception  of  the  artistes  already  referred 

to,    and   of  these   Monsieur  P had   an   utter 

abhorrence.  His  only  rival  was  a  young  Peruvian 
aristocrat — a  charming  boy  enough  ;  but,  in  the 
matter  of  permutations  and  combinations.  Mon- 
sieur P was  master  of  the  situation.      I  have 

even  seen  his  youthful  competitor  wearing  the 
same  striped  jacket  two  days  running,  rather  than 

do  which  Monsieur  P would,  I  am  persuaded, 

have  retired  permanently  to  his  berth. 

Early  upon  the  morning  of  February  8th  the 
Portugal  anchored  off  Lisbon,  and,  there  being 
ample  time,  most  of  us  went  ashore.  But  beyond 
an  excellent  breakfast  at  the  Braganza  Hotel  with 
the  local  agent  of  the  Times,  the  visit  to  the  Por- 
tuguese capital  scarcely  repaid  the  trouble  of 
landing. 

Upon  the  12  th  we  reached  Dakar,  one  of  the 
few   French  possessions  upon  the  West  Coast  of 


OUTWARD  BOUND 


I 


I 


Africa.  It  does  not  impress  the  visitor  as  a  very 
flourishing  township,  although  the  harbour  is  a 
fairly  good  one  and  the  outlet,  as  we  were 
informed,  for  a  considerable  amount  of  inland 
trade.  The  market  -  square  presented  a  lively  i 
enough  scene,  a  perfect  babel  of  uncouth  cries 
proclaiming  the  excellence  of  the  very  uninviting- 
lookinor  beef  and  evil-smellino^  fish  offered  for  sale 
by  the  gaudily-attired  native  women.  There  are  a 
few  stores,  nearly  all  kept  by  Frenchmen  ;  some 
fairly  commodious  barracks,  and  a  neglected- 
looking  post-office,  in  telegraphic  communication 
with  Europe.  But  by  far  the  most  attractive 
sight  is  a  neatly-planned  boulevard,  well  worthy  of 
a  more  imposing  settlement.  Dakar  boasts  (or 
then  boasted)  a  'King,'  the  most  decayed  specimen 
of  monarchy  I  ever  saw,  with,  perhaps,  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Port  Moresby  sovereign,  Boe-Vagi. 
His  Dakar  majesty's  name  I  do  not  remember,  nor 
can  I  find  it  amongst  my  jottings  ;  but  this  can  ^ 
scarcely  be  deemed  an  irreparable  loss  to  contem- 
porary history.  It  would  seem  to  be  the  general 
custom  of  European  Powers,  when  a  slice  of 
uncivilized  territory  is  annexed,  to  pension  off  the 
heretofore  reigning  chieftain  and  allow  him  to 
retain  the  shadow  of  his  former  authority ;  and  it 
is,  at  least,  a  more  decent  policy  than  the  old 
Spanish  system  of  extirpation.  The  pension 
allowed  to  the  titual  '  Eoi  de  Dakar '  would  appear 
to  be  inadequate,  since  a  small  present  of  money  is 


DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


greedily  accepted  at  the  close  of  an  '  audience.'  It 
does  not  seem  to  be  in  the  fitness  of  things  that  a 
nominal  monarch,  although  he  be  but  a  deposed 
savage,  should  be  reduced  to  gleefully  pouching  a 
couple  of  francs  backsheesh.  Our  Dakar  royalty 
had  evidently  not  long  to  live,  and  we  understood 
that,  upon  his  death,  the  '  King '  farce  would  be 
discontinued,  he  being  the  last  of  his  line.  Mean- 
while his  nominal  subjects  treat  him  with  a  certain 
amount  of  rough  respect  and  kindness,  making  him 
presents  of  fish  and  vegetables,  and  occasionally 
enlivening  the  monotony  of  Court  life  by  creating 
a  fearful  din,  which  is  the  local  equivalent  for  a 
concert.  The  King  speaks  a  few  words  of  French, 
an  accomplishment  of  which  he  is  justly  vain,  and 
his  guttural  '  Merci,  monsieur !'  (accompanied  by 
an  outstretched  palm)  would  extract  largesse  from 
the  most  penurious  of  visitors. 

The  men  are  remarkable  for  length  of  limb  and 
leanness,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  women,  who  are 
extremely  obese,  short,  and,  it  must  be  said, 
abominably  ugly — which  is,  doubtless,  one  reason 
why  garrison  life  at  Dakar  is  regarded  with  such 
disfavour  in  the  French  service. 

The  voyage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  which  we  reached 
upon  the  21st,  was  uneventful:  a  monotonous 
existence  made  tolerable  by  tobacco,  iced  drinks, 
scandal,  and  an  occasional  concert  wherein  our 
noisy  artistes  showed  to  better  advantage.  Our 
stay  at   Rio   was   but  brief,   and    quarantine  con- 


OUTWARD  BOUND 


siderations  forbade  our  landing.  But  here  our 
theatrical  nuisances  left  us,  and,  I  hope,  had  a  good 
time  and  full  houses,  for  Rio  just  then  was 
'  booming.' 

My  diary  up  to  the  26  th  is  a  complete  blank, 
and  for  that  date  contains  the  bare  entry:  'Arrived 
at  Monte  Video.'  Here,  however,  we  had  ample 
time  to  land,  and,  as  it  happened,  to  stay  one  night 
ashore.  There  is  always  a  certain  pleasure  in  playing 
cicerone,  and,  being  here  thoroughly  at  home,  I 
experienced  considerable  satisfaction  in  introducing 
my  newly-made  friends  to  the  prettiest  town  in 
South  America.  That,  beyond  all  dispute,  Monte 
Video  emphatically  is.  Picturesquely  situated  upon 
the  northern  bank  of  the  huge  estuary  geogra- 
phically known  as  the  River  Plate  (how  reconcile 
one's  idea  of  a  river  with  a  width  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  ?)  ;  laid  out  upon  a  plan  which 
admirably  harmonizes  the  cuadra  system  of  Madrid 
with  the  Parisian  boulevard  ;  adorned  with  me- 
morial statues  and  fountains  which  are  veritable 
cliefs-dJoeuvre ;  boasting  of  streets  full  of  shops 
which,  whether  in  the  matter  of  appearance  or  of 
dearness,  are  very  good  seconds  to  Regent  Street 
or  the  Rue  de  Rivoli ;  admirably  supplied  as  to 
hotel,  police,  and  cab  service  ;  essentially  clean 
and  well  drained,  and  the  centre  of  a  flower  and 
p  fruit  province  :  what  more  can  one  reasonably  ask 
I    for  ?     Anyhow,  we  all  thoroughly  enjoyed  ourselves, 


I 


I 


lo  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

It  was  possible  to  gain  a  few  hours  by  tran- 
shipping to  one  of  the  river-boats  which  ply  to 
and  from  Buenos  Aires.  But  inasmuch  as  tran- 
shipping one's  baggage  is  a  distinct  bore  and  the 
saving  in  time  trivial,  most  of  us  decided  to  proceed 
next  day  with  the  Portugal.  And  in  due  course 
the  big  ship  ploughed  her  way  across  the  shallow 
river,  and  we  dropped  anchor  off  Buenos  Aires. 

I  had  left  the  Argentine  capital  but  six  months 
before,  soon,  indeed,  after  the  short  but  bloody 
revolution  of  July.  Matters  had  then  been  in  a 
bad  way  ;  but  with  the  fall  of  President  Celman"^^ 
it  had  seemed  probable  that  a  change  for  the 
better  would  take  place.  The  victorious  Union 
Civica  had  set  itself,  or,  perhaps  more  accurately, 
had  promised  to  set  itself,  to  the  tasks  of  economy 
and  reform  ;  and  including,  as  it  did,  amongst  its 
leaders  men  of  known  ability  and  integrity,  there 
really  appeared  to  be  grounds  for  hope.  But, 
alas !  these  sanguine  expectations  had  been  based 
upon  the  assumption  that  the  foreign  creditor 
would  be  forbearing,  and  allow  the  distracted  Re- 
public time  to  reorganize  its  chaotic  finances  ;  nor 
had  the  nature  of  the  Stock  Exchange  'bear' 
been  suflBciently  taken  into  account.  Of  course, 
so  long  as  money-markets  exist,  the  warfare  be- 
tween '  bears '  and  '  bulls  '  will  endure,  since  it 
must  ever  be  the  object  of  the  speculative  buyer 
of  stocks  to  buy  cheap,  and  that  of  the  specula- 
tive  holder   to    sell    dear.     But,    surely,   below    a 


OUTWARD  BOUND  ir 

certain  point  it  is  little  short  of  insanity  to  pro- 
long '  bearing '  tactics,  lest  securities  should  become 
absolutely  worthless,  and  the  entire  game  collapse 
for  want  of  material  to  work  upon.  Yet  this  is 
what  has  actuall}^,  over  and  over  again,  occurred, 
and  stocks,  by  no  means  intrinsically  valueless, 
have  been  *  beared '  into  an  everlasting  moratorium. 
And  this  is  also  what  occurred  with  respect  to 
Argentine  securities.  In  vain  did  the  '  bulls,' 
having,  upon  this  occasion  at  least,  common-sense 
and  logic  upon  their  side,  endeavour  to  stem  the 
downward  current  ;  in  vain  did  some  of  the  lead- 
ing financial  newspapers  (and  notably  the  World 
in  its  money  columns)  counsel  moderation  and 
patience.  The  '  bears  '  were  masters  of  the  situa- 
tion ;  they  held  the  knife  at  the  throat  of 
Argentine  credit,  and  they  slashed  away  ruth- 
lessly. They  scouted  the  proposals  made  by  the 
reformed  Argentine  Administration  as  mere  devices 
to  put  off  an  inevitable  crash ;  yet  better  pro- 
posals it  was  not  possible  to  offer,  with  any  reason- 
able prospect  of  fulfilment.  Paper-bonds,  gold- 
bonds,  cedulas,  were  proclaimed  from  the  house- 
tops to  be  mere  waste-paper,  and  a  panic-stricken 
public  believed  the  tale.  As  a  natural  result 
Argentine  securities  became  practically  unsaleable, 
and  any  further  loans  an  impossibility.  The  great  ^ 
1  house  of  Baring,  holding  these  and  kindred  securi- 
I  ties  to  the  extent  of  a  score  of  millions  of  pounds 
I     sterling,  found  it  hopeless  to  unload  in  the  face  of 


I 


1 2  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

a  closed  market,  tottered,  and  would  have  fallen, 
with  a  crash  which  would  have  shaken  the  com- 
mercial world,  but  for  the  timely  intervention  of 
the  Bank  of  England  and  its  associates.  Now, 
evidently,  were  the  *  bear '  gospel  correct  and 
Argentine  securities  worthless,  no  such  interven- 
tion would  have  taken  place.  The  mere  fact  that 
it  did  take  place  afforded  proof  positive  that,  in 
the  estimation  of  the  highest  authorities  upon 
finance  in  England,  the  securities  were  intrinsically 
good,  even  though  time  might  be  needed  to  realize 
upon  them ;  which  was  precisely  the  argument 
advanced  throughout  by  the  Worlds  and  a  few  of 
its  clearest-headed  contemporaries. 

With  these  considerations  clearly  before  me,  I 
was  not  surprised  to  find  the  general  condition  of 
affairs  in  Buenos  Aires  worse  upon  the  last  day  of 
February  (when  we  landed)  than  it  had  been  six 
months  before.  Trade  practically  at  a  standstill  ; 
shops,  by  the  hundred,  closed,  or  plastered  with 
selling-oJBf  advertisements  ;  the  streets  swarming 
with  beggars  ;  the  erstwhile  pandemonium- like 
Bolsa,  a  mere  gossiping  resort  for  seedy-looking 
brokers  ;  the  native  banks  degenerated  into  vulgar 
pawn-offices,  and  their  foreign  rivals  intent  only 
upon  raking  in  outstanding  liabilities  ;  the  best 
hotels  deserted,  and  places  of  amusement  unable 
to  open  their  doors  :  all  these,  and  countless  other, 
*  signs  of  the  times '  spoke  but  too  plainly  of  wide- 
spread   insolvency.      And   when   I   mentally  com- 


OUTWARD  BOUND 


T3 


I 


I 


pared  the  Buenos  Aires  of  1891  with  its  proto- 
type a  few  short  years  ago,  my  heart  saddened  to 
witness  the  change  that  had  come  to  pass.  Then, 
nay,  but  two  years  ago,  the  Argentine  metro- 
poHs  was  one  of  the  Hvehest,  gayest,  cheeriest 
towns  in  the  world.  Could  this  out-at-elbows  look- 
ing place  be  the  same  Buenos  Aires  which  had 
formerly  eclipsed  Paris  in  the  brilliancy  of  its 
nocturnal  illuminations?  Was  this  now- closed 
theatre  the  same  that  had  re-echoed  to  Patti's 
wondrous  voice  at  a  profit — to  the  diva — of  one 
thousand  pounds  a  night  ?  And  where  were  the 
countless  luxurious  equipages,  horsed  by  high- 
stepping  English  bays  or  Russian  blacks,  that  used 
to  throng  the  route  to  Palermo  Park  ?  Gone,  all 
gone  !  gone  like  the  money  (or  the  credit)  which 
procured  them  ;  gone  like  the  hopes  of  foreign 
bondholders,  who  had  supplied  the  money  or 
given  the  credit ;  gone  (as  I  was  credibly  informed) 
temporarily  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  a  great 
*  boom  '  had  arisen,  and  where,  no  doubt,  a  still 
greater  crash  will,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  eventuate. 
But,  ah  me,  poor  Buenos  Aires  ! 


i/ 


CHAPTER  II. 


ARGENTINA. 


An  Interview  with  President  Pellegrini — The  Man  with  the 
Iron  Mask — British  Preponderance — A  Good  Time — I  form 
an  Opinion  upon  the  Argentine  Situation — *  Go  on  to  Chile ' 
— Pellegrini's  Opinion  of  Balmaceda — Sensational  Telegrams 
— The  Andes  reported  infested  by  Bandits — I  engage  a  Fight- 
ing Secretary — And  take  a  Frenchman  under  my  Wing. 

Mindful  of  the  fact  that  Argentina  and  its  affairs 
lay  primarily  within  the  scope  of  my  mission,  I 
worked  hard  for  the  next  few  days  endeavouring  to 
obtain  clear  ideas  as  to  the  actual  situation — a  task 
materially  lightened  as  well  by  the  very  nature  of 
that  mission  itself,  as  by  the  numerous  letters  of 
introduction  with  which  I  had  come  provided. 
Local  English  opinion  was  well-nigh  unanimous  : 
the  country  itself  was  sound  and  progressive 
enough  ;  all  that  was  needed  was  time  and  confi- 
dence in  the  future.  This  sounded  a  very  old  story 
to  one  so  long  familiar  with  the  country,  but  it 
faithfully  reflected  local  British  belief,  and  was 
therefore  entitled  to  some  credence.  Moreover,  the 
reports  from  the  provinces  had  been  encouraging ; 
good  seasons  and  abundant  harvests  seemed  to  be 


ARGENTINA 


the  order  of  the  day.  But  an  interval,  possibly  a 
long  interval,  must  necessarily  elapse  before  metro- 
politan trade  could  be  expected  to  revive  under  the 
beneficial  effects  of  these  agricultural  blessings. 
And  hence  Buenos  Aires  would  probably  remain 
commercially  stagnant  for  some  time  to  come. 
Upon  the  whole,  this  appeared  to  be  a  not  unrea- 
sonable forecast — provided  always  that  Government 
could  be  relied  upon  to  persevere  in  the  paths  of 
rectitude.  I  had  many  interviews  with  Ministers, 
and  especially  with  the  Finance  Minister,  Senor  Lopez 
(whose  clever  son.  Dr.  Lucio  V.  Lopez,  appeared 
to  perform  most  of  his  father's  duties,  by  the  way), 
and  so  far  as  reports,  statistics,  and  apparent  candid 
statement  of  facts  could  carry  conviction,  there 
seemed  to  be  no  room  for  doubt  that  the  exhausted 
exchequer  was  being  nursed  to  the  best  advantage. 
Nor  can  I  here  omit  to  acknowledge  my  indebted- 
ness to  the  courteous  kindness  of  Mr.  H.  Chevallier 
Boutell,  manager  of  the  Kiver  Plate  Trust  Loan 
Company,  who  was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  pro- 
cure for  me  the  best  and  most  reliable  information. 
I  paid  my  first  visit  to  the  President  in  company 
with  Senor  Lopez,  who  very  judiciously  selected 
the  '  four  o'clock  tea '  leisure-hour  for  the  purpose. 
(It  may  be  parenthetically  noted  that  afternoon  tea 
has  become  even  more  firmly  established  an  institu- 
tion in  South  American  upper  circles  than  in 
England.)  Dr.  Pellegrini,  a  tall,  well-built,  intel- 
lectual-looking man,  somewhere  about  fifty  years  of 


1 6  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

age,  received  me  with  great  cordiality,  introduced  me 
to  such  of  his  guests  as  I  did  not  already  know,  and 
proceeded  straight  to  business.  He  untwisted  me 
very  neatly  as  to  London  opinion  upon  a  vast 
variety  of  points,  every  now  and  then  glancing  to- 
wards General  Roca  (then  Minister  of  the  Interior), 
as  though  for  approval  or  inspiration.  The  gallant 
General's  face  is  the  most  illegible  countenance  I 
have  ever  beheld  :  dead-white  in  colour,  rigid  as 
though  carved  in  marble — a  face  which  affords 
absolutely  no  clue  as  to  what  is  passing  through 
the  brain  ;  a  face  such  as  Napoleon  s  may  have 
been  in  his  most  baffling  moods.  Only  at  rare  in- 
tervals did  a  movement  of  an  eye-lid,  or  the  ghost 
of  a  smile  upon  the  firm-set  lips,  indicate  his  apprecia- 
tion of  some  point  scored  by  his  more  voluble  chief 
For  physiognomical  purposes  his  features  might  as 
well  be  hidden  altogether,  and  I  mentally  dubbed 
him  '  the  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask.' 

It  speedily  became  apparent  that  the  proposed 
positions  were  being  reversed — that  the  interviewer 
was  being  converted  into  the  interviewed.  However, 
my  turn  came  at  last,  and  I  poured  my  questions 
in  hot  and  strong.  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I  was 
met  very  fairly  :  no  evasion,  very  little  hesitation. 
Without  entering  into  details  which  have  no  direct 
bearing  upon  the  subject  of  this  Avork,  I  may  say 
that  when  I  took  my  leave  I  was  more  than  ever 
satisfied  that  the  reins  of  government  had  fallen 
into  honest  and  cautious  hands. 


ARGENTINA 

I  was  curious  to  hear  General  Roca  speak  in 
something  longer  than  monosyllables,  and,  in  saying 
good-bye,  asked  him  the  facts  of  his  attempted 
assassination  by  a  boy,  a  short  time  previously. 

'  The  young  scamp  fired  at  me  through  the 
panels  of  my  carriage.  I  jumped  out,  seized  him, 
thrashed  him  with  my  cane,  and  gave  him  into 
custody.  He  is  either  mad  or  has  been  laid  on  to 
kill  me.' 

Certainly  this  was  the  most  concise  possible  nar- 
rative of  an  exploit  which  for  many  days  had  filled 
whole  columns  of  the  local  press. 

No  one  could  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  fact 
that,  go  where  one  would,  the  best-dressed  men,  and 
the  frequenters  of  such  fashionable  resorts  as  still 
contrived  to  keep  open,  were  Englishmen.  In  fact, 
but  for  English  patronage,  it  is  doubtful  if  even  a 
single  first-class  restaurant  could  have  kept  open  : 
once  more  emphasizing  the  bankrupt  condition  of 
the  ^  sons  of  the  country,'  for  your  Argentine  loves 
fine  clothes  and  the  vanities  of  life.  Of  course  the 
explanation  was  simple  enough.  The  Englishman 
is  paid  his  salary  in  gold,  and  the  worse  the  financial 
crisis,  the  more  paper  dollars  he  gets  for  the 
sovereign.  The  Argentine  is  paid  in  paper-money, 
his  salary  remaining  the  same  however  high  the 
gold-premium  may  soar.  Prices  rise,  of  course, 
during  a  crisis,  but  never  so  fast  or  so  high  as  the 
gold-premium.  Consequently,  whereas  the  unfor- 
tunate native  finds  his  margin  for  menus  plaisirs 

2 


1 8  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

entirely  swept  away,  the  Englishman  actually  gains 
by  the  rise. 

\  And,  apart  from  this,  it  is  clear  that  the  whole 
of  the  industrial  enterprises  in  the  country  are 
rapidly  passing  into  English  or,  at  least,  into 
foreign  hands  ;  to  such  an  extent  that,  but  for  the 
enduring  character  of  the  Spanish  language,  and 
the  well-established  fact  that  the  children  of  Eng- 
lish parentage  born  in  Spanish-speaking  countries 
are  almost  invariably  passionately  fond  of  their 
native  soil,  one  would  feel  tempted  to  predict  that 
Argentina  is  destined,  sooner  or  later,  to  become  a 
British  possession.  Certain  it  appears  to  be  that 
the  Spanish  race  there  is  doomed,  to  be  replaced 
by  a  new  and  more  energetic  race  of  Argentines,  of 
whom  the  dominant  section  will  be  of  Anglo-Saxon 
blood,  but  of  strongly  anti-English  sympathies. 
The  language  will  never  die  out,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  no  one  familiar  with  the  rich,  soft 
idiom  of  Spain  would  ever  willingly  exchange  it 
for  the  harsh,  comparatively  coarse  idiom  of 
Britain. 

My  particular  inquiries  into  the  actual  economic 
state  of  affairs  naturally  threw  me  much  into  the 
society  of  my  fellow-countrymen,  and  from  them 
I  experienced  nothing  but  unlimited  kindness  and 
hospitality.  With  my  work  thus  made  easy  for 
me,  and  so  admirably  dove-tailed  with  enjoyment, 
I  should  be  ungrateful  indeed  did  I  not  confess  to 
having   had  a  really  '  good  time  '  during  my  brief 


v: 


ARGENTINA  19 


stay  in  Buenos  Aires.      Given,  too,  all   these   ex- 

iceptional  facilities  for  obtaining  the  very  best  infor- 
mation, superadded  to  an  already  fairly  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  country,  and  it  is  plain  that  one 
can  arrive  very  speedily  at  definite  opinions.  Briefly 
stated,  mine  formulated  themselves  thus  :  That*^ 
things  were  in  a  bad  w^ay,  and  likely  so  to  remain 
for  some  time  to  come  ;  that  General  Mitre  would 
shortly  arrive,  and  would  be  enthusiastically  re- 
ceived in  Buenos  Aires  by  the  dominant  Union 
Civica ;  that  his  candidature  for  the  Presidency 
would  be  supported  by  the  existing  Government ; 
that  he  would  in  due  course  be  elected  unless  a 
split  later  on  occurred  in  the  Union,  in  which  case 
Heaven  only  and  General  Boca  knew  what  might 
happen ;  that  there  seemed  no  prospect  of  any 
disturbance  in  the  near  future  ;  and  that  the  best 
thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  hurry  off  to  Chile. 
All  of  which,  having  been  duly  cabled  to  London, 
brought  forth  the  laconic  order,  '  Go  on  to  Chile.' 

»This  telegram  reached  me  at  the  very  moment 
when  I  was  discussing  the  Chilian  question  with 

\^n  Argentine  brother-pressman,  who  had  been  be- 
w^ailing  his  hard  fate  ijQ^ot  havmg  been  sent  as 

fc  correspondent  to  the  scene  of  strife.  I  had  en- 
deavoured to  console  him  by  pointing  out  the 
alleged  dangers  of  the  expedition  ;  but  such  dangers 

_  being  to  him,  as  I  gleaned,  the  very  salt  of  exist- 

I  ence,    I   had   duly   sympathized   with   him   in   his 

I  disappointment. 


20  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Now,  it  should  be  stated  that  there  were  at  this 
time,  at  the  Darsena  del  Sur,  two  small  warships 
which   had   excited  great  interest.      They  were  of 
the   class  known  to  British  naval  men  as  torpedo- 
catchers,   were  named  respectively  the  Almirante 
Lynch  and  the  Almirante  Condell,  and  were  about 
to  proceed  to  Valparaiso,  the  naval  stronghold  of 
the   world- famed   tyrant  and   dictator  Balmaceda. 
It   was,    moreover,   reported   that   several   of  the 
warships  which  had  espoused  the  side  of  Congress 
were    lying    in    wait    for    them  at  the    mouth  of 
Magellan  Straits,    with   the   amiable  intention    of 
there   blowing   them   out  of  the  water.      But  the 
Chilian  commanders  had  openly  ridiculed  any  such 
possibility  :  if  attacked  by  any  single  ironclad,  their 
vessels  were  heavily-armed   and   carried   (between 
them)  ten  torpedo-tubes  ;  if  by  a  squadron,  then 
they  could   show  a    very  clean    pair   of    18-knob 
heels,  and   laugh  at  pursuit.      To  my  mind  it  was 
highly   improbable   that  the  revolted  fleet  should 
allow   two   such   dangerous  craft  to  pass  through 
the  straits  without  some  effort  to  sink  them,  and  I 
was  naturally  anxious  to  witness  that  rarest  of  all 
spectacles   nowadays,  a  naval   engagement.      So  I 
consulted  some  of  my  friends  as  to  the  possibility 
of  proceeding  to  Valparaiso  on  board  one  of  the 
torpedo-catchers.       Never    was    proposition  worse 
received.      Go  ?      Of    course    I    could   go  :     they 
would  be  but  too  glad  to  have  the  correspondent 
of  the    Times   on  board.      But   had  I   considered 


ARGENTINA  ««si«sf-^»aM. 


that  by  so  doing  I  should  be  identifying  myself, 
so  to  speak,  with  the  cause  of  the  tyrant  ?  No  ; 
this  view  of  the  matter  had  certainly  not  pre- 
sented itself  to  me.  It  seemed  hard  lines  to  miss 
what  promised  to  be  a  very  novel  and  interesting 
scrimmage,  merely  because /people  might  accuse"^ 
me  of  sympathizing  with  a  man  whom  I  knew 
only,  by  report,  as  a  savage,  and  whose  portrait  I 
had  never  even  seen.  It  seemed  still  harder  lines 
to  have  to  bump  across  the  Andes  on  mule-back 
when  there  was  a  chance  of  a  sea-passage  on  board 
an  18 -knot  boat.  But  my  friends'  verdict  was  so 
unanimous  that  I  regretfully  gave  up  the  idea. 

*  Go,'  from  a  great  journal  to  its  special  correspon- 
dent, means  '  Go  at  once ' ;  and  that  I  lost  no  time 
in  obeying  my  orders  is  proved  by  the  fact  that, 
although  the  telegram  only  reached  me  upon  the 
evening  of  March  5th,  I  was  en  route  within 
eighteen  hours — by  the  first  transcontinental  train, 
in  fact.  Late  at  night  I  betook  me  to  the  premises 
of  the  leading  journals  to  obtain  a  few  press 
wrinkles  as  to  the  journey,  telegraphing,  and  other 
details,  and  also,  naturally,  to  hear  the  latest  news 
from  the  disordered  country  I  was  about  to  visit. 
It  appeared  that  I  could  get  as  far  as  Puente  del 
Inca  (upon  the  Argentine  side  of  the  Cordillera) 
easily  enough  ;  that  thence  I  might,  if  I  chose  to 
risk  it,  get  across  into  Chilian  territory  ;  but  that  >i 
Balmaceda  had  closed  all  telegraphic  communica-  //vV^ 
tion  between  Chili  and  the  Argentine.    The  Buenos   A     ^ 


2  2  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

Aires  press-correspondents,  I  learned,  had  stopped 
short  at  Puente  del  Inca,  from  which  point  they 
telegraphed  such  items  of  Chilian  news  as  they 
could  there  pick  up.  The  telegrams  to  hand  were 
especially  sensational.  There  had  been  several 
desperate  engagements.  Balmaceda  was  besieged 
in  the  Moneda  at  Santiago,  and  would  probably 
endeavour  to  escape  across  the  Andes  into  Argen- 
tine territory,  if  he  were  not  captured  and  shot. 
And  the  mountain-passes  were  infested  by  bandits, 
deserting  soldiers,  and  other  desperate  characters. 
It  was  impossible,  then,  to  know  that  these  reports 
were  pure  fabrications  ;  and  whilst  common-sense 
suggested  that,  in  the  absence  of  telegraphic  com- 
munication, they  could  not  be  depended  upon,  still 
they  might  be  exaggerated  statements  of  fact. 
The  brigand  item  appeared  to  be  especially  deserv- 
ing of  notice  as  being,  under  the  circumstances  of 
a  civil  war,  a  very  natural  outcome.  At  all  events, 
it  clearly  suggested  a  liberal  supply  of  firearms 
and  ammunition.  And  then  there  arose  the  query. 
Of  what  use  going  to  Chile  at  all  if  it  be  im- 
possible to  send  news  to  the  Times  ?  No  matter. 
The  order  was  '  Go  to  Chile,'  and  the  order  must 
be  obeyed,  brigands  or  no  brigands,  news  or  no 
news.  \And  after  all,  it  might  be  possible  to  get 
from  Valparaiso  to  the  insurgent  headquarters  at 
Iquique,  and  thence  cable  via  New  York.  (It 
ydid  not  then  occur  to  me  that  Iquique,  being  also 
/    telegraphically  cut   off  from  Valparaiso,  must   be, 


ARGENTINA  23 


if  anything,  rather  a  worse  source  of  information 
than     Puente    del    Inca.)       And    what    wondrous 

i  messages  must  have  inundated  Europe  from  these 
two  telegram  factories  for  many  months  !  I  my- 
self was  taken  in  by  one — but  by  one  only — 
which  bore  every  appearance  of  being  official  and 
genuine,  and  which  I  repeated  to  London.  One 
of  Balmaceda's  crack  regiments  (the  5  th  of  the 
Line,  I  think  it  was)  was  reported  to  have 
mutinied,  murdered  its  officers,  and  gone  over 
en  masse  to  the  insurgents.  Yet,  before  I  had 
well  reached  Chile,  this  very  regiment  had  been 
cut  to  pieces  at  Pazo  Almonte  by  the  rebels  ! 
Wonderful,  truly,  are  the  ways  of  press  telegraph 
agencies  !  Parisian  journalists  adopted  a  system  "^X 
equally  reliable,  and  far  less  expensive  ;  they  simply 
and  persistently  invented  their  Chilian  news  in 
their  printing-offices.  -^ 

B  As  one  result  of  a  rather  restless  night  of 
broken  sleep,  during  which,  I  remember,  stumbling 
mules,  precipices,  and  lurking  brigands  figured  ex- 
tensively, I  paid  an  early  visit  to  my  literary 
friend  who  had  been  so  grievously  disappointed  in 
his  hopes  of  visiting  Chile.  I  had  decided  upon 
taking  him  with  me  in  the  capacity  of  fighting 
K  secretary,  special  despatch-bearer  in  emergencies, 
™  or  for  any  similar  jobs  to  his  taste  that  might  turn 
up.  I  found  him  at  home,  and  gradually  (in  order 
to  enjoy,  to  the  full,  his  anticipated  rapture)  made 
my   proposal.       I   was   not  disappointed  ;   he   was 


24  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

delighted  with  the  idea — so  far  as  I  had  gone. 
Go  with  me  ?  Of  course  he  would.  A  journey- 
across  the  famous  Cordillera  ?  The  one  thing  he 
longed  for.  Such  an  opportunity  might  never 
occur  again.  And  Senor  Guillermo  incontinently 
proceeded  to  overhaul  his  wardrobe,  and  to  make 
selections  therefrom.  I  watched  him  in  silence 
for  some  minutes,  and  then  the  thought  uppermost 
in  my  mind  found  tongue. 

^  Tell  me,  amigo  mio,  how  are  you  off  for  fire- 
arms ?  I  suppose  you  have  a  regular  assortment 
for  handy  use  V 

'  Firearms  !'  replied  Senor  Guillermo.  '  I  don't 
think  that  at  present  I  have  any.  I  had  a  little 
American  revolver,  but  someone  stole  it  out  of 
my  pocket.  It  didn't  much  matter,  because  it 
wouldn't  go  off !' 

I  fairly  gasped.  A  fighting  secretary  who,  at 
some  bygone  period,  had  possessed  a  little  revolver, 
an  American  revolver,  and  who  l^new  so  little 
about  firearms  as  to  be  guilty  of  the  ludicrous 
tautology  of  adding  that  it  wouldn't  go  off !  ^  Did 
the  man  suppose  that  the  Yankee  toys  exported  to 
Buenos  Aires  ever  went  off?  It  was  staggering. 
But,  worst  of  all,  he  had  allowed  some  person 
unknown  to  abstract  this  harmless  but,  withal, 
intimidating  weapon  from  his  pocket !  One's 
watch  or  one's  purse,  yes — cela  pent  arriver  des 
fois.       But    one's    revolver — in    South    America  ! 


ARGENTINA 


The   thing  was   past   behef.      Yet,   stay  ;  an   idea 
struck  me. 

.      *  Never   mind/   I   said,    '  you    can    stick   to   the 
national  citchillo,  and  I'll  look  after  the  artillery/ 

Senor  Guillermo  held  up  a  pair  of  trousers  to 
the  light  (doubtless  with  a  view  to  calculating  how 
many  hours'  mule-riding  they  might  reasonably  be 
expected  to  stand),  and  answered  very  solemnly  : 

*  Senor  Corresponsal,  I  never  use  a  knife  except 
at  meal-times.' 

This  was  too  much.  He  spoke  in  much  the 
same  tone  as  a  dyspeptic  uses  when,  bidden  to 
partake  of  a  sherry  and  bitters,  he  informs  you 
that  *  he  never  touches  anything  between  meals.' 

*  You  see,'  proceeded  my  new  secretary,  extend- 
ing his  critical  inspection  to  sundry  other  garments, 

*  before  I  turned  my  attention  to  the  Press,  I  was  ^ 
a  professor  of  philosophy,  and,  long  ago,  decided 
that  fighting  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  teach- 
ings of  that  admirable  science.  Moreover,  it  is 
evident  that  an  unarmed  man  is  really  in  less 
danger  of  being  forced  into  a  quarrel  than  he 
who  carries  weapons,  a  fact  which,  I  am  given 
to  understand,  is  thoroughly  recognised  in  your 
own  enlightened  country.  And,  lastly,  to  attempt 
armed  resistance  to  a  gang  of  bandits  (should  any 
such  present  themselves,  which  I  think  most  un- 
likely) would  be  sheer  folly.' 

It   was   hard   to   take   all   this  in  at  once,  and 


26  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

especially  hard  to  have  discredit  thrown  upon 
one's  bandits. 

*  Why/  I  asked,  '  do  you  doubt  the  existence  of 
these  gentry,  in  the  face  of  your  own  correspon- 
dent's telegram  ?' 

'  Simply,'  answered  Senor  Guillermo,  '  because  I 
know  Pedro,  who  sent  it,  very  well.  He  is  a  man 
who  rightly  esteems  his  personal  comfort  above  all 
things.  He  has  often  complained  in  his  letters  of 
the  overcrowded  condition  of  the  small  posada  at 
Puente  del  Inca,  whereby  prices  are  enhanced  and 
accommodation  curtailed.  The  obvious  and  only 
remedy  must  be  to  deter  any  more  intending 
travellers,  by  means  of  a  judicious  scare  ;  and  what 
so  likely  to  do  this  as  a  well -flavoured  bandit 
report  V 

'  Your  friend  Pedro  is  a  man  fertile  of  resource,' 
I  assented,  '  if  not  of  unimpeachable  veracity.  I 
trust  we  shall  find  the  jposada  depleted  upon  our 
arrival.  Hasta  luego  /'  And  I  left  my  philosopher- 
secretary  contentedly  equipping  himself  for  the 
journey. 

Upon  returning  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  I  was 
apologetically  asked  by  the  proprietor  if  it  would 
seriously  inconvenience  me  to  allow  a  French 
gentleman  of  his  acquaintance  to  travel  with  me 
to  Chile.  ^Naturally,  I  requested  an  introduction 
to  my  proposed  fellow-traveller,  and,  finding  him 
in  every  way  eligible,  at  once  consented.  Several 
other  intending  travellers  interviewed  me  with  the 


ARGENTINA 


same  object,  but  turned  out  to  be  unprepared  to 
start   at   such  short  notice.      I  should,  otherwise,^ 
have  had  to  captain  a  small  caravan. 

Few  as  were  my  remaining  hours,  my  English 
friends  found  time  to  rally  round  me  for  a  sump- 
tuous farewell  lunch  at  the  Strangers'  Club.  Kight 
royally  they  entertained  me.  And  true  though  it  be 
that  Scheiden  thut  Wehy  when  the  Scheiden  takes 
place  under  such  cheering  influences,  the  sting  wholly 
disappears.  Then  as  many  farewell  visits  as  I  could 
crowd  into  the  remaining  interval.  From  our  Resi- 
dent Minister,  the  Hon.  F.  Pakenham,  whom  I 
found  vigorously  engaged  at  lawn-tennis  at  Palermo, 
I  received  many  valuable  hints  about  Chile,  to 
which  he  had  been  previously  accredited  ;  but  he 
confessed  his  inability  to  enlighten  me  upon  the 
political  merits  of  the  Revolution.  My  last  visit 
was  paid  to  the  President,  with  whom,  as  before, 
I  found  General  Roca.  His  Excellency  was 
politely  sorry  that  I  was  so  soon  leaving  Buenos 
Aires,  but  added  that,  of  course,  from  a  journalistic 
point  of  view,  Chile  was  at  that  moment  a  more 
interesting  field  for  operations. 

'  Has  your  Excellency  formed  any  opinion  as  to  the  ^A 
merits  of  the  quarrel  between  President  Balmaceda 
and  Congress  V  I  ventured  to  inquire. 

'  No,'  replied  Dr.   Pellegrini ;   '  I  am  not  suffi- 
ciently well  posted  in  Chilian  affairs  to  enable  me 
to   arrive   at  any  very  definite  conclusions.      But    A 
President  Balmaceda  personally  I  know  very  well      j 


28  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

f  indeed ;  we  are  old  friends ;  and  whether  he  be  right 
or  wrong  in  the  attitude  he  has  taken  up,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  he  is  one  of  the  most 
finished  gentlemen  I  ever  met.  Ask  General  Roca; 
he  knows  more  about  the  matter  than  I  do.' 

But  the  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask  was  very 
guarded  in  his  brief  utterances,  as,  indeed,  he 
always  is.  \In  his  judgment.  President  Balmaceda 
had  no  sympathy  with  the  attempts  made  to 
increase  the  powers  of  Congress  at  the  expense  of 
those  of  the  Executive,  and  would  resist  these 
attempts  to  the  bitter  end.  Possibly  he  believed 
that  a  ruler,  aided  by  ministers  of  his  own  selection, 
was  better  able  to  govern  than  a  roomful  of  wrang- 
ling deputies.  '  But,'  concluded  the  General, '  that 
Balmaceda  ever  had  any  intention  of  supplanting 
existing  Republican  institutions  by  an  army-sup- 
ported dictatorship  I  do  not  think  probable.  He 
is  not  the  man  for  a  coup  d'etat.'^ 

With  many  kindly  expressions  of  goodwill  from 
the  President  and  his  Prime  Minister,  I  hurried 
off  to  the  railway-station,  barely  in  time  to  catch 
the    train.      Mr.    Christopher  Hill,  the    courteous 

*  I  cannot  recall  the  exact  impressions  left  on  my  mind 
which  induced  me  to  enter  the  following  remarks  in  my  diary 
under  the  date  of  this  interview : 

*  March  5th,  Memo. — If  ever  a  South  American  community 
should  grow  weary  of  the  so-called  Eepublican  political  jumble, 
which  has  invariably  proved  so  total  a  failure  south  of  the 
equator,  and  should  revert  to  the  One-man-rule  system,  that 
community  will  be  Argentina,  and  the  One  Man  General  Eoca.' 
Perhaps  the  Napoleon-like  face  and  manner  of  the  man  in- 
spired the  thought  more  than  his  words. 


ARGENTINA 


manager  of  the  Buenos  Aires  and  Pacific  lines,  had 
made  all  things  comfortable  for  me  and  my  two 
companions,  and  good-naturedly  accompanied  us  a 
short  distance.  We  were  fairly  en  route  for  the 
Andes. 


CHAPTER  III. 


CROSSING    THE    ANDES. 


A  Long  Eail  Journey — Travelling  en  Prince — Mendoza — A  Lift 
to  IJspallata — Fifty  Miles  on  a  'Cow-catcher' — Scenery — 
Uspallata — A  Lost  Child  on  my  Hands — Eoughing  It — A 
Facetious  Muleteer — A  Dry  Stage — An  Independent  Yankee 
— Eio  Blanco — Las  Vacas — A  Goatherd-subscriber  to  the 
Times — Montes  Corrales — Monte  de  Los  Penitentes — A  Mule 
Eace — *  Corresponsal '  wins — Valle  de  la  Tolorzia — Cajou  del 
Eio  de  Las  Cuevas — Puente  del  Inca — A  Posada — A  Night 
in  a  Menagerie — The  Juncal  Volcano — The  Summit  of  the 
Cordillera — A  Slippery  Descent — Lake  Portillo — A  primi- 
tive Hostelry — The  Soldier's  Leap  —  The  Meeting  of  the 
Waters — Juncal — A  Wild  Drive — Santa  Eosa  de  Los  Andes. 

Forty  consecutive  hours  in  a  third-class  railway- 
carriage  would,  it  may  be  supposed,  be  a  test  of 
endurance  and  of  epidermis  which  few  persons  would 
be  able  to  undergo  ;  but  forty  hours  in  a  suite  of 
luxurious  Pullman  cars  glide  by  smoothly  enough. 
Monotonous,  of  course  ;  nothing  to  see  from  the  car 
windows  on  either  side  but  the  flat  grassy  pampas 
until  quite  towards  the 'end  of  the  journey.  How 
one  loiigs,  after,  a  time,  for  tb^  sight  of  eve^'a  hil^^ 
lock  to  vary  the  dead-level  of  those  interminable 
plains !  An  isolated  farm-house,  usually  as  primitive 
in  appearance  as  mud  walls  can  make  it,  becomes  an 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  31 

object  of  interest,  and  a  herd  of  cattle  excites  the 
Hvehest  satisfaction ;  but  even  monotony  is  not 
without  charm,  provided  it  does  not  last  too  long. 
And  certainly  one  who  has  endured  a  three  wrecks' 
calm  upon  the  Line,  on  board  a  sailing  ship,  is 
little  likely  to  suffer  from  want  of  scenery  on  the 
Pampas.  The  service  and  the  accommodation 
leave  little  to  be  desired  upon  this  railway,  and  the 
cuisine  is  very  tolerable.  Mr.  Hill,  the  general 
manager  of  the  line,  had  considerately  provided  me 
with  a  four-berthed  dormitory  to  myself,  which  was 
convertible,  by  the  dexterous  hands  of  an  attendant, 
into  a  snug  sitting-room  during  the  day.  The  only 
serious  inconvenience  was  the  dust,  which,  despite 
all  precautions,  found  its  way  inside  in  large 
quantities. 

My  secretary  was  in  high  spirits,  finding  matter 
for  admiration  even  in  our  desolate  surroundinofs. 
'  Where,'  he  would  ask,  ^  will  you  find  a  country 
so  level,  and  of  such  vast  extent  ?  For  hundreds 
of  kilometres  not  a  hillock  and  not  a  stone.  Besides, 
observe  how  well  we  are  treated !  Travelling  with 
a  "  corresponsal  "  is,  I  see,  synonymous  with  travel- 
ling en  prince.^ 

'  Ah,  Guillermo,'  said  I,  '  wait  until  we  get  out- 
side those  mules.  They  will  respect  neither  the 
"  corresjDonsal "  nor  his  secretary/  Which  fore- 
boding proved,  indeed,  true  enough. 

We  reached  Villa  Mercedes  at  2.30  p.m.  next 
day,  whence,  after   an  hour's  halt  to  stretch  our 


32  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

legs,  we  started  for  Mendoza,  where  we  arrived  at 
seven  o'clock  next  morning. 

Here  it  became  necessary  to  engage  an  arriero 
(muleteer-guide),  a  boy,  and  twelve  mules  to  trans- 
port ourselves  and  our  baggage  across  the  Andes. 
And  here  there  befell  us  a  piece  of  luck  which 
saved  us  nearly  sixty  miles  of  mule -riding,  in 
order  to  understand  which,  a  few  words  must  be 
said  about  one  of  the  greatest  railway  engineering 
enterprises  of  even  these  go-ahead  days.  Those 
readers  who  may  be  interested  in  such  matters 
will  find  full  details  in  an  Appendix.  "^ 

At  the  foot  of  the  great  range  of  the  Andes, 
which  separates  Argentina  from  Chile,  upon  the 
Argentine  side,  lies  the  town  of  Mendoza.  Simi- 
larly at  the  foot  of  the  same  range,  upon  the 
Chilian  side,  lies  the  town  of  Santa  Rosa  de  Los 
Andes,  or,  as  it  is  generally  termed,  more  simply, 
Los  Andes.  And  this  range  is  one  of  the  most 
impassable  in  the  world.  The  distance  to  be 
traversed,  following  the  only  possible  track  for 
mule  or  man,  and  well-nigh  the  whole  of  which 
has  been  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  is  a  little  over 
150  miles,  the  highest  peak  crossed  being  some 
13,000  feet  above  sea-level.  The  mule -track, 
narrow  and  often  dangerous  as  it  is,  was  deemed 
a  triumph  of  engineering  skill,  and  the  route  via 
the  Uspallata  Pass  has  long  been  famous. 

Then  there  arose  a  clamour  for  telegraphic  com- 
*  See  Appendix  A  :  The  Transandine  Railway. 


PDENTK   DEL   INCA,   ON   THE   ROUTE   OP   THE   TRANSANDINK   RAILWAY. 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


munication  between  the  two  towns,  so  as  to  brinof 
Santiago  and  Valparaiso  in  direct  contact  with 
Buenos  Aires.  Two  Chihan  gentlemen  of  English 
descent,  Messrs.  Juan  and  Mateo  Clark,  undertook 
and   successfully   carried    through    this   enterprise. 

■  And  then,  having  taken  careful  stock  of  the 
engineering  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  they  stag- 
gered the  scientific  world  by  boldly  proclaiming 
the  possibility  of  driving  the  iron  horse  over  the 
Cordillera  !  At  first  the  idea  was  received  with 
ridicule ;  but  Messrs.  Clark  stuck  to  their  guns, 
converted  both  the  Argentine  and  the  Chilian 
Governments  to  their  views,  obtained  the  neces- 
sary concessions,  and  the  still  more  necessary 
capital,  and  boldly  went  to  work  upon  their  truly 
colossal  scheme. 

P  Now,  when  we  arrived  at  Mendoza,  upon 
March  8,  the  iron  road  had  just  been  com- 
pleted as  far  as  Uspallata,  and  it  was  therefore 
possible  for  ourselves  and  our  mules  to  proceed 
thus  far  (about  fifty-five  miles)  upon  our  mountain 

journey   by   train.       Mr.    N ,  Messrs.   Clark's 

agent  at  Mendoza,  courteously  placed  a  special 
carriage  at  our  disposal,  himself  accompanying  us, 

I  together   with    several    young    English    engineers. 
It  was  arranged  that  the  mules  should  follow  by 
a  special  train  reserved  for  the  conveyance  of  troops 
towards  the  frontier. 
m      At   Blanco    Encalada,    the   first   stopping-place, 

■  gome   twelve  miles  up  the  line,  I  discovered  four 


36  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

of  the  engineers  perched  upon  the  cow-catcher  of 
the  locomotive,  there  being  just  room  for  this 
number. 

'  Now  then,  sir,'  cried  one,  '  if  you  want  to  get 
fresh  air,  and  a  good  view  of  the  Cordillera,  take 
my  place  here.  But  keep  your  head  cool  going 
round  the  curves  and  through  the  tunnels.' 

I  surveyed  the  narrow  ledge  upon  which  I  was 
invited  to  balance  myself,  tested  it,  and,  finding 
that  the  protruding  bars  of  the  cow-catcher  afforded 
some  purchase  for  the  heels,  accepted  the  offer 
with  a  great  show  of  alacrity,  but  with  consider- 
able inward  misgivings.  My  secretary  tried  hard 
to  dissuade  me,  but  to  no  purpose.  A  shriek  from 
the  engine,  and  we  were  off. 

Oh,  the  wild  delight  of  that  glorious  ride ! 
The  sun  shining  brightly  overhead  ;  the  exhilara- 
ting sensation  of  rushing  through  the  clear,  crisp 
air  ;  the  distant  panorama  of  the  snow -clad  Cor- 
dillera towering  above  mountains  of  well-nigh  every 
imaginable  hue  ;  the  spice  of  danger  thrown  in  to 
add,  as  it  were,  zest  to  the  whole  sublime  scene  ! 
For  the  first  few  miles,  it  is  true,  the  initial  sense 
of  insecurity  predominated.  I  was  too  busily 
engaged  in  *  holding  on '  (or  perhaps  I  should  say 
'sitting  on,'  since  there  was  nothing  to  hold  on 
by),  in  staring  at  the  stony  track  along  which  we 
were  speeding,  and  in  imagining  what  would  happen 
if  some  huge  boulder  should  have  rolled  upon  the 
line,    to    bestow    much    attention    upon    Nature's 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  37 

masterpieces  of  scenic  effect.  The  first  bridge 
which  we  crossed,  about  200  yards  in  length, 
fairly  made  me  start  :  there,  deep,  deep  below  us 
rushed  the  river  Mendoza,  into  whose  icy  waters 
it  would  be  so  easy  to  fall  did  but  one's  heels  slip. 
Involuntarily  I  leaned  well  back,  but  coming,  by 
this  movement,  into  uncomfortable  contact  with 
the  front  portion  of  the  furnace,  I,  as  involuntarily, 
jerked  myself  forward  again. 

'  Sit  still,  sir,'  said  my  right-hand  neighbour 
warningly  ;  *  it's  not  safe  to  throw  yourself  about 
on  this  perch  until  you're  a  bit  used  to  it.' 

P  This  entirely  coincided  with  my  own  conviction  ; 
but,  in  truth,  after  that  first  bridge  my  nervous- 
ness entirely  disappeared.  At  our  next  halting- 
place,  Cacheuta,  Senor  Guillermo  rushed  forward 
to  ascertain  at  what  particular  spot  I  had  realized 
his  prediction,  and  fallen  off.  He  embraced  me  as 
one  returned  from  a  forlorn  hope — he  even  hinted  at 
accompanying  me  upon  the  next  stage  ;  but  whether 
it  was  that  my  engineer  friends  drew  a  line  be- 
tween a  correspondent  and  his  secretary,  or  that 
they  feared  two  *  new  chums  '  would  jostle  one 
another  off,  or  that  no  one  cared  to  resign  his  seat, 
certain  it  is  that  one  of  them  told  an  anecdote 
w^hich  effectually  *  choked  off '  Senor  Guillermo, 
and  very  nearly  drove  me  back  to  the  railway-car. 
Guillermo  had  remarked  that,  after  all,  there  did 

^not  appear  to  be  much  danger  of  falling  off. 


38  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


much  fear  of  that,  because  a  fellow  can  see  plainly 
enough  what  would  become  of  him  if  he  did,  and 
sticks  tight.  But  other  accidents  may  happen. 
For  instance,  a  few  days  ago  a  tourist  rode  with 
us  on  the  cow-catcher,  just  as  the  correspondent  has 
been  doing.  But  he  had  quite  enough  of  it  after 
one  stage  ;'  and  the  speaker  laughed  as  at  some 
humorous  recollection. 

^  How  was  that  ?'  I  asked.  '  I  could  ride  there 
all  day,  travelling  through  such  scenery.' 

*  How  ?  Well,  I'll  tell  you/  was  the  reply. 
*  In  the  first  place,  he  was  a  particularly  nervous 
sort  of  fellow,  clutching  at  one  or  other  of  us 
every  other  minute  ;  and,  secondly,  he  charged  a 
cow  !' 

'  Charged  a  cow !'  cried  Guillermo  ;  ^  what  on 
earth  did  he  do  that  for  ?' 

'Just  because  he  couldn't  help.  it.  You  see, 
cows  have  a  habit  of  straying  on  to  the  track,  and 
are  very  stupid  and  slow  in  getting  out  of  the  way 
of  a  train.  Sometimes,  indeed,  they  get  into  a 
cutting,  or  upon  a  narrow  ledge,  and  cant  save 
themselves ;  and  sometimes  they  are  overtaken 
round  one  of  the  sharp  curves.  We  fellows 
always  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  the  brutes,  and  if 
we  see  that  it's  going  to  be  a  case  of  "  fresh  beef," 
we  skip  round  to  the  side-ledge  of  the  engine,  and 
hold  on  by  the  boiler-rail  until  the  job  is  over. 
Upon  the  occasion  I'm  speaking  of,  just  as  we 
were  turning  a  corner,  we  came  right  upon  a  tubby 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


old  cow.  There  was  barely  a  second  to  think  and 
act,  and  my  chum  and  I  used  it  to  the  best  advan- 
tage, leaving  the  stranger  to  Providence.  We  got 
one  glimpse  of  his  huddled-up  figure  .  .  .  there 
was  a  thud  >-^..^  and  in  another  instant  the  front 
part  of  the  engine  was  in  a   fearful   mess.      Our 

fenan  looked  as  though  he  had  been  rolled  through 
a  slaughter-house.  Goodness  knows  how  he  con- 
trived to  hang  on,  but  he  did  somehow.  Of 
course,  the  engine  at  once  slowed  down,  and  we 
got  him  off  to  the  guard's  van,  where  he  was  very 
glad  to  change  his  clothes  in  favour  of  a  suit  of 
blankets.  I  don't  think  that  chappie  will  ever 
again  ride  on  a  cow-catcher.' 

I  registered  a  mental  vow  that  if  /  did  it  should 
not  be  in  the  middle  seat.  In  medio  tutissimus  ibis 
evidently  did  not  hold  good  of  this  sort  of  travel- 
ling. 

Time  was  allowed   us   at  Cacheuta   to   see   the 

I  locally-famous  baths  of  La  Boca  del  Rio.  These 
are  thermal  springs  of  high  temperature,  which, 
oddly  enough,  rise  within  a  few  feet  of  the  river 
Mendoza  ;  which  latter,  being  fed  by  melted  snow, 
is  always  icy  cold.  These  baths  are  accredited 
with  wonderful  medicinal  properties,  and  it  seems 
beyond  doubt  that  they  are  of  great  value  in  cases 
of  nervous  and  rheumatic  disorders. 

My  request  for  a  side -seat  having  been  acceded 
to,  with  the  proviso  that,  if  we  should  run  foul  of 
a  cow,  I  was  to  *  look  smart,  and  s^ive  the  middle 


40  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

man  a  chance/  we  started  once  more  upon  our 
winding,  upward  course.  And  winding  enough,  in 
all  conscience,  this  course  is.  At  a  place  called 
La  Media  Luna  (the  Half-Moon),  the  curve  is 
a  perfect  semicircle,  flanked  by  a  precipitous  de- 
scent, which  makes  the  novice  hold  his  breath. 
Then  a  new  experience — a  tunnel.  The  sensation 
of  shooting  a  tunnel,  perched  upon  a  cow-catcher, 
is  like  nothing  else  that  I  ever  felt.  ^One  seems 
to  have  for  ever  taken  leave  of  the  oflorious  sun- 
light,  and  to  be  pushed,  as  it  were,  through  the 
very  bowels  of  the  earth,  by  the  panting  monster 
behind  one.  The  din  and  the  darkness  so  add  to 
the  weirdness  of  the  eflect  that  one  instinctively 
feels  for  one's  neighbour's  arm,  in  order  to  be  in 
touch  with  a  fellow-mortal.  Upon  emerging  once 
more  into  daylight,  the  scene  appeared  grander 
than  ever — so  grand,  so  sublime,  that  no  feeble 
word-painting  of  mine  can  reproduce  it,  even  in 
outline.  The  snow-mantled  Cordillera  in  the  back- 
ground appeared  still  more  stupendous  the  nearer 
we  approached  ;  the  underlying  mountains  still 
brighter  in  hue,  with  every  conceivable  shade  of 
colour  represented — green,  purple,  orange,  black, 
red,  and  thousands  of  nuances  for  which  there  are 
no  verbal  equivalents  ;  the  bridges  (of  which  we 
crossed  eight)  seemed  longer  and  higher,  and  the 
river  below  swifter  and  more  boisterous  ;  the 
tunnels  (five  in  number),  if  possible,  gloomier  and 
more    awe-inspiring.      Upon   one    side    towered    a 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  41 


sheer  wall  of  rock,  which  one  could  have  touched 
with  the  outstretched  hand,  and  upon  the  other 
lay  a  precipitous  descent  of  many  hundreds  of  feet ; 
the  track  hung  upon  a  mere  ledge  of  rock  wide 
enough  for  the  narrow-gauge  line  and  no  more. 
Then  came  cuttings  so  deep  and  narrow  as  to 
suggest  the  idea  of  tunnels  with  the  roofs  cut  off; 
and  occasionally,  when  a  light  cloud  passed  across 
the  face  of  the  sun,  one  could  drink  in  and  steep 
one's  soul  in  the  exquisite  gradations  of  hue  that 

I  swept  across  the  many-coloured  hills  ! 
\j  My  companions  had  been  over  the  ground  so 
often  that  for  them  these  localities  had  lost  the 
charm  of  novelty  ;  but  they  thoroughly  enjoyed 
my  enthusiastic  admiration  of  all  that  I  saw,  as 
good-natured  fellows  always  do,  when  they  see  that 
their  efforts  to  give  pleasure  are  crowned  with 
success.  And  they  actually  produced  beer  (none 
of  your  Argentine  ^  she-oak,'  but  the  genuine  red- 
triangle  Bass's  pale  ale,  dear  to  the  heart  of  all  true 
Britons),  and  we  drank  the  health  of  our  Queen, 
and  of  the  Times,  and  of  Messrs.  Clark,  and  of  our 
noble  selves,  until  of  that  delicious  beer  there 
remained  not  one  drop.  Fortunately,  the  cows 
gave  us  a  wide  berth,  and  in  the  fulness  of  time 
we  reached  Uspallata  without  other  mishap  than 
the  loss  of  a  hat  (luckily  not  mine).  The  line  went 
no  further,^  and  here   we  had  to  stay  overnight, 

*  It  has  since  been  pushed  on  to  Rio  Blanco,  twenty-miles 
further. 


42  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  mules.  After  lunch 
our  kind  friends  bade  us  farewell,  and  started  upon 
the  return  journey  to  Mendoza.      Before  doing  so, 

however,  Mr.  N informed  me  that  a  French 

lad,  some  sixteen  years  of  age,  had  been  waiting 
here  some  days  for  an  opportunity  to  join  some 
party  proceeding  to  Chile.  Would  I  take  charge 
of  him  ?  The  boy  himself  asked  me  so  prettily  to 
allow  him  to  accompany  me,  that  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  refuse  ;  but  scarcely  was  the  train  out  of 
sight  when  I  discovered  that  my  protege  had  no 
clothes  but  those  he  stood  in,  no  mules,  and  but 
very  little  money.  Evidently  I  should  have  to 
supply  him  with  these  necessary  adjuncts  to  travel, 
and  until  I  heard  his  story  I  felt  annoyed  at 
having  too  easily  given  my  consent.  Then  I 
relented  ;  the  more  so  as  I  at  once  saw  that  his 
was  one  of  those  hypersensitive,  shy  natures  that 
ifnu8t  fasten  on  to  some  stronger  will  than  their 
own,  or  come  to  hopeless  grief  I  had  even  some 
doubts  as  to  his  perfect  sanity,  doubts  by  no  means 
shared  by  Senor  Guillermo,  who  assured  me  that 
my  lost  child  was  clearly  as  mad  as  a  hatter. 
Briefly  his  story  was  this  :  His  parents,  well-to-do 
Belgian  bourgeois,  had  sanctioned  his  making  a 
voyage  to  Buenos  Aires,  for  his  health,  in  an 
English  ship,  and  under  the  care  of  the  captain. 
Arrived  at  his  destination,  having  a  month  to  wait 
for  the  return  voyage  and  20,000  francs  to  his 
credit,  he  took  it  into  his  head   to  see   something 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


\ 


of  Argentina,  packed  up  a  portmanteau,  drew  some 
money,  and  started  off  inland,  finally  reaching" 
Mendoza.  Here  a  wild  desire  seized  him  to  cross 
the  Andes  and  have  a  peep  at  Chile,  and  this  he 
furthermore  contemplated  doing  on  foot ;  so  leaving 
his  portmanteau  in  Mendoza,  he  took  train  to 
Uspallata.  Here  his  pedestrian  plan  had  been 
frightened  out  of  him,  and  he  had  stuck — afraid  to 
go  forward,  yet  utterly  unwilling  to  go  back.  I 
thoroughly  believed  the  lad's  story,  and  I  may 
add  that  I  have  since  verified  it  in  every  detail. 
P  I  tried  hard  to  persuade  him  to  return,  but 
this  he  tearfully  but  resolutely  refused  to  do.  He 
would  follow  me  on  foot,  if  need  be  ;  but  follow 
me  he  would.  Finally,  I  agreed  to  take  him 
as  far  as  Puente  del  Inca,  where  he  was  to 
await    the    return    of   my    muleteer   from    Chile  ; 

I  and    to    this    arrangement    he    temporarily    con- 
sented. 
There  is  not  any  regular  posada  at  Uspallata, 
though   there   is   a   canteen   at  the  station  and  a 
_  fairly  good  general  store  where  a  few  travellers  can 
W  get  a  shakedown  at  a  pinch.      For  us  the  boy  in 
charge  of   this   latter   place   made  special    efforts, 
evidently  reahzing  that  the  credit  of  the  township 
ft  was  at  stake.      Upon  returning  from  a  refreshing 
but  intensely  cold  plunge  into  an  adjacent  lagoon, 
it   was   evident,    from   the   bustle   going    on,   that 
preparations  upon  an  unwonted  scale  were  in  full 
swing.      My  lost   child  (whose  name,  by  the  way, 


44  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE  - 

was  Robert)  whispered  me  that  in  all  his  three  days' 
experience  he  had  seen  nothing  at  all  like  it.  At 
intervals  there  had  reached  his  ears  shrill  screams 
as  of  fowls  in  their  death  agony,  and  he  was 
almost  certain  that  he  had  recognised  the  squeals  of 
a  youthful  porker  in  extremis.  But,  most  wonderful 
of  all,  he  had  seen  a  feon  laying  a  table-cloth ! 
Robert's  powers  of  observation  had  not  misled 
him.  When  we,  later  on,  sat  down  to  dine,  the 
table-cloth  was  there,  and  we  were  regaled  with 
chicken  soup,  roast  fowl,  and  sucking  pig,  the 
whole  washed  down  by  some  very  fair  Mendoza 
wine.  I  had  been  warned  that  our  experiences  of 
*  roughing  it '  would  commence  at  Uspallata,  but 
methought  I  could  rough  it  upon  this  scale  for  a 
lengthy  period.  To  sleep  upon,  there  were 
stretchers  resembling  elongated  camp-stools,  whilst 
the  stock-in-trade  furnished  a  liberal  supply  of 
blankets.  The  couch  reserved  for  me  was  even 
adorned  with  what  I  took  to  be  a  sheet,  but  which 
Robert  at  once  recognised  as  that  crowning  luxury 
— the  table-cloth. 

Next  morning  we  were  aroused  betimes  by  our 
muleteer,  who  pressed  us  to  lose  no  time  in  making 
a  start.  To  him  I  confided  my  wish  to  take 
Robert  with  me  if  possible.  Certainly,  he  could 
ride  one  of  the  spare  mules  if  a  saddle  could  be 
procured.  But,  as  regarded  the  senor's  baggage — 
this,  I  informed  him,  need  not  w^eigh  upon  his 
mind,     inasmuch    as    the    young    gentleman    had 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


brought  none.  Whereupon  the  muleteer  scratched 
his  head  and  remarked  : 

^  Of  course  the  senor  knows  best.  But  it  would 
be  very  bad  for  our  business  if  everyone  travelled 
with  one  shirt/ 

And  Jose  proceeded  to  load  up  his  mules,  whilst 
we  breakfasted  upon  the  debris  of  the  last  night's 
banquet — the  protean  table-cloth,  which  had  re- 
appeared upon  the  board,  being  removed  by  general 
request.^  The  reckoning  paid,  a  stirrup-cup  par- 
taken of,  a  saddle  borrowed  for  Robert,  and  we 
were  ready  for  the  road. 

'  Does  your  excellency  ride  well  V  queried  our 
guide,  who  had  a  true  Spanish  habit  of  conferring 
brevet-rank  upon  his  patrons. 

'  Moderately  well,'  I  replied  cautiously,  my 
Australian  and  other  experiences  having,  long  ago, 
taught  me  the  unwisdom  of  vaunting  one's  horse- 
manship in  a  foreign  land. 

'■  Ah !  I  thought  so,  senor  ;  most  English 
cahalleros  can  ride.  That  is  why  I  have  picked  out 
El  Ministro  there  to  carry  you,'  indicating  a  gaunt 
animal  of  exceptional  stature  for  a  mule.  '  He's 
the  best  macho  I've  got,  and  used  to  be  one  of  the 
quietest.      But  ever  since  he  carried  Senor  Godoy, 

*  The  reader  will  doubtless  remember  the  analogous  experi- 
ences of  a  guest  at  a  French  country  auherge,  who  was 
aroused  at  an  early  hour,  with  a  request  that  he  would  at  once 
get  up.  *  Why  should  I  get  up  ?'  '  Because,'  replied  the 
gar9on,  *  I  want  to  lay  the  table  for  breakfast,  and  monsieur 
is  sleeping  upon  the  table-cloth.' 


46  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

the  Chilian  Minister  for  Londres  (that's  why  he's 
called  El  Ministro),  he  has  become  proud,  and  plays 
tricks  occasionally.  I  dare  say  he  will  go  quietly 
enough  with  your  excellency,  but  be  careful  of  his 
heels  just  at  first  when  you  mount  him.' 

This  last  piece  of  advice  proved  not  uncalled  for. 
No  sooner  did  El  Ministro  feel  my  foot  in  the 
stirrup  than  he  lashed  out  savagely,  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  a  succession  of  shrill  squeals.  How- 
ever, at  the  second  attempt  I  got  safely  into  the 
saddle,  and,  having  no  intention  of  risking  my  neck 
upon  the  brute  if  I  could  not  master  him,  plunged 
my  spurs  into  his  lean  ribs.  A  battle  royal  ensued, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  onlookers  ;  but  in  the 
end  El  Ministro  gave  in,  nor  did  he  ever  afterwards 
give  me  any  trouble. 

Quite  an  imposing  cavalcade  did  our  party 
present  as  we  passed  by  the  station  en  route  for 
Rio  Blanco,  distant  some  twenty  odd  English 
miles.  At  the  head  rode  the  muleteer's  boy  upon 
a  small  gray  mare,  to  whose  headstall  was  fixed  a 
loud-sounding  and  not  unmusical  bell,  the  mules 
being  trained  to  follow  a  bell-mare  just  as  sheep 
follow  a  bell-wether.  Then  came  the  four  members 
of  my  party  in  no  particular  order,  behind  us  the 
baggage  -  mules,  the  spare  mules,  driven  by  the 
arriero,  bringing  up  the  rear.  Hampered  as  we 
were  by  the  baggage,  our  pace  was  necessarily 
slow  ;  indeed,  it  took  us  seven  hours,  without  a 
halt,  to  accomplish  the  twenty  miles. 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


For  a  couple  of  hours  our  way  lay  through  a 
wide  plateau,  and  then  we  entered  a  ravine, 
hemmed  in  by  towering  alps  of  awful  grandeur, 
which  endured  to  the  end  of  the  stage.  The  day 
was  exceptionally  warm,  and  towards  noon  one's 
ideas  began  to  take  the  form  of  liquid  refreshments. 
I  therefore  proposed  a  brief  halt  for  this  purpose. 
But  then  came  the  trouble.  No  such  refreshments 
were  to  be  found.  I  had  several  times  enjoined  on 
my  secretary  to  be  especially  careful  upon  this 
point ;  in  fact,  to  consider  it  2^^^  ^^^-  ^^  his  only 
duty.  I  had  myself  purchased  the  necessary  fluids. 
It  now  appeared  that  in  the  excitement  of  depar- 
ture they  had  been  left  behind.  Then  I  waxed 
wroth,  and  I  said  unkind  things  of  my  secretary 
and  of  philosophers  generally  ;  and  wrath  begat 
worse  thirst,  and  I  was  fain  to  ask  the  arriero  to 
procure  me  even  a  drink  of  water. 

*  Impossible,  senor,'  replied  Jos6,  *  until  we  reach 
the  posada  at  Rio  Blanco,' 

*  But,  my  good  man,'  I  remonstrated,  '  we  are 
travelling  parallel  with  the  river.' 

'  Sty  senor,  but  we  can't  get  down  to  it.' 
This  was  but  too  true.      There  was  the  icy-cold, 
foaming    current    rushing    along    a    hundred    feet 
below  ;  but  the  descent  was  sheer. 

I  am  especially  sensitive  to  thirst,  and,  I  believe, 
suffered  more  than  the  others.  But  it  chanced 
that  a  dog — a  rather  well-bred  collie — had  followed 
us,  and  in  noting  its  distress  I  well-nigh  forgot  my 


\^ 


48  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

own.  Poor  brute  !  how  it  scoured  the  ground  for 
a  stray  puddle,  where  none  existed  !  How,  ever 
and  anon,  it  rushed  to  the  precipitous  bank  and 
gazed,  with  hanging  tongue,  at  the  foaming  torrent 
below,  as  though  minded  to  make  one  spring  and 
die  in  water  !  At  last,  at  a  spot  where  the  ravine 
widened  considerably,  I  perceived  a  white  speck, 
half  a  mile  away,  which  I  at  once  knew  to  be  a 
tent.  With  a  vicious  plunge  of  the  spurs,  T 
headed  my  mule  towards  the  welcome  object,  my 
companions  pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  their  way, 
but  the  collie  sticking  close  to  El  Ministrds  heels. 
It  is  surprising  how  fast  a  mule  can  gallop,  for  a 
short  distance,  over  rough  ground.  In  a  couple  of 
minutes  I  had  reached  the  tent.  No  one  there  ; 
the  owner,  doubtless  a  railway-navvy,  was  away  at 
work.  But  there  was  a  cask  of  water  and  a  pan- 
nikin, and  I  filled  a  tin  wash-basin  for  the  dog. 
My  wants  were  soon  satisfied,  and,  oh,  how  deli- 
cious that  water  was !  I  left  a  dollar  in  the 
pannikin  to  express  my  thanks,  and  the  collie, 
having  drunk  its  fill,  looked  up  into  my  face  with 
its  great  brown,  loving  eyes  to  express  its  thanks, 
and  away  we  scampered,  helter-skelter,  to  rejoin 
the  cavalcade.  I  told  my  companions  of  my  dis- 
covery, but  they  were  too  lazy  or  not  thirsty 
enough  to  profit  by  it. 

Some  miles  further  on  we  observed  a  man  skulk- 
ing about  in  most  mysterious  fashion  close  to  the 
river-bank.      Presently  he  noticed  us,  and  waved 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  49 

his  arms  as  though  he  desired  to  speak  with  us,  at 
the  same  time  staggering  in  our  direction  ;  where- 
upon we  rode  towards  him.  A  queer- looking  ^ 
object !  He  turned  out  to  be  an  American 
mechanic,  on  his  way  to  Chile  on  foot.  He  was 
half  dead  with  thirst,  and  had  been  trying  to  spy 
out  a  track  down  to  the  river.  Could  we  give 
him  some  water  ?  I  explained  our  own  situation, 
and  offered  him  a  lift,  upon  a  spare  mule,  to  the 
jposada^  then  about  six  miles  distant.  But  this  he, 
not  very  politely,  declined.      He  did  not  want  my 

mule  !     He  wanted  water,  and  if  I  had  none, 

why,  there  was  an  end  of  it.  Perhaps  he  could 
afford  a  mule  as  well  as  I  could,  or  better.  If  he 
preferred  to  walk,  what  business  was  that  of  mine  ? 
So  I  left  him,  for  an  ill-conditioned,  cantankerous 
brute,  to  leave  his  bones  upon  the  river-bank,  if  the 
Fates  so  willed  it.  But  he  did  not.  He  turned 
up  at  the  jposada  some  hours  after  us. 

At  Bio  Blanco  (so  called  from  the  milk-white^ 
colour  of  the  water  which  here  comes  rushing  down 
from  the  mountains)  we  stayed  overnight.  The  ' 
accommodation,  although  rougher  than  at  Uspal- 
lata,  was  yet  tolerable  ;  and  I  remember  that  cer- 
tain bottles  of  lager-bier,  cooled  in  the  river,  were 
especially  good. 

Next  day  (March  10th),  having  a  journey  of 
forty-six  miles  to  accomplish  before  nightfall,  our 
arriero  insisted  on  a  very  early  start.  Whilst  he 
was  saddling  and  packing  the  mules,  Jose  incidentally 

4 


50  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

mentioned  that  he  had  driven  the  animals  several 
miles  the  evening  before,  to  the  nearest  browsing 
ground,  had  slept  amongst  them,  under  the  stars, 
rolled  up  in  his  poncho,  and  had  but  just  brought 
them  back.  A  pretty  hard  life,  that  of  the  Andine 
muleteer. 

'  And,  senor,'  said  Jose,  with  a  grin,  '  I  have  re- 
christened  El  Ministro.  He  will  now  be  known  as 
El  Corr espousal' 

'  I  suppose,'  I  answered,  ^  if  he  should  ever 
carry  Balmaceda  across  the  range,  he  will  become 
El  Presidente  f 

'  Quien  sabe,  senor  ?  More  unlikely  things  have 
come  to  pass.  But  take  my  advice,  and  don  t  talk 
about  Balmaceda  like  that  when  you  get  into  Chile 
— Macho  ! — 00 — ay — Macho  f  And  we  slowly 
started  upon  our  way. 

We  reached  a  sort  of  farmhouse  posada  at 
Punta  de  Las  Vacas  at  about  mid-day,  and  here 
we  fell  into  most  hospitable  hands.  The  place 
appeared  to  be  kept  by  three  young  fellows, 
evidently  fairly  well  off,  to  judge  by  the  number 
of  cows,  horses,  mules,  goats,  pigs,  fowls,  and  dogs 
(of  which  last  there  must  have  been  at  least  fifty), 
which  we  saw.  One  of  the  proprietors,  who,  as 
I  understood,  was  specially  interested  in  goat- 
breeding,  at  once  explained  the  reason  of  the  un- 
wonted efforts  made  on  our  behalf 

He  had,  by  dint  of  study  and  with  occasional 
help  from  stray  Englishmen,  learnt  enough  English 


\NDES  5' 

to  understand  the  written  language  fairly  well,  and 
derived  most  of  his  knowledge  of  contemporary 
history  from  the  Times  weekly  edition,  to  which 
he  was  a  subscriber.  Hence  he  esteemed  it  a  high 
honour  to  entertain  a  corresponsal  of  the  gran 
diario.  And  when  the  arriero  began  to  grumble 
at  the  delay  in  preparing  lunch,  he  bade  him  begone 
with  his  baggage-mules,  for  that  he  would  himself 
conduct  the  Senor  Corresponsal's  party  to  Las 
Cuevas  later  on.  By  this  arrangement,  we  had 
ample  time  to  do  justice  to  the  abundant  fare  set 
before  us,  and  for  an  hour's  rest  afterwards.  The 
collie  was  recognised  as  the  property  of  an  English 
engineer ;  and  though  the  animal  tried  to  follow 
us,  it  was  speedily  lassoed  and  chained  up.  Our 
host's  chums  started  with  us,  to  see  us  a  part  of 
the  way,  but  eventually  accompanied  us  the  whole 
distance. 
P  Unhampered  by  the  baggage-mules,  we  were  able 
to  cover  the  ground  at  a  good  pace,  whilst  our 
guides  enlivened  the  journey  by  pointing  out  the 
most  interesting  freaks  of  Nature,  which  here 
abound. 

To  the  right  arose  dark  jagged  masses  of  horn- 
blende and  schist,  the  smoother  lower  portions  of 
which,  seamed  and  scored,  gave  ample  evidence  of 
glacial  action.  These  are  known  as  the  Montes 
Conales. 

Further  on,  upon  the  other  side,  stood  the  most 
extraordinary  rock  formation  I  ever  beheld.     Upon 


k 


52  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

the  slope  of  a  distant  hill  was  an  almost  perfect 
counterpart  of  a  huge  monastery,  whilst  lower  down 
certain  other  groups  of  rock  exactly  represented 
processions  of  pilgrims  ascending  the  hill.  The 
name  Monte  de  Los  Penitentes  very  happily  de- 
scribes the  impression  produced  upon  the  beholder; 
yet,  we  were  assured,  upon  near  approach  the  illusion 
entirely  disappears.      Truly 

*  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view,* 

though  I  never  before  so  fully  realized  the  truth  of 
Campbell's  well-known  line. 

We  wasted  so  much  time  admiring  Los  Peni- 
tentes that  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  quicken  our 
pace  ;  and,  all  being  in  excellent  spirits,  a  race  to  a 
boulder  about  a  mile  distant  was  proposed  and 
agreed  to.  We  were  here  in  a  wide  valley,  and  the 
going  fairly  good,  so  we  got  into  line.  I  fired  my 
revolver  as  a  signal,  and  away  we  went.  It  soon 
became  evident  that  our  guides'  mules  were  fresher 
and  better  than  ours,  with  the  one  possible  excep- 
tion of  my  tall  moke,  now  christened  El  Corre- 
spousal,  and  even  he  was  sadly  outpaced  for  half  the 
distance.  Now,  I  had  noticed  that  he  had  started 
under  me  when  I  fired,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that 
if  I  fired  again,  behind  him,  his  mulish  brain  might 
be  startled  into  further  eflPorts.  The  idea  was  an 
inspiration.  Hearing  the  report,  apparently  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  his  hind-quarters,  the  brute 
fairly  bounded  along,  and  passed  the  rearmost  of 


53 

my  three  rivals.  It  cost  two  more  explosions  to 
get  him  past  the  next  man.  And  now  there  re- 
mained but  the  leader,  some  ten  lengths  ahead,  with 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  yet  to  be  covered. 
I  noted  with  satisfaction  that  he  was  spurring  mer- 
cilessly to  maintain  his  lead.  Then,  when  fifty 
yards  from  the  goal,  I  fired  my  last  two  remaining 
shots  in  rapid  succession.  In  a  frenzy  of  fright 
Corresponsal  plunged  forward,  swept  past  the  leader 
like  a  whirlwind,  and  won  by  half  a  dozen  lengths, 
about  the  same  distance  separating  second  and 
third.  As  for  the  others,  they  were  '  working  their 
passages '  at  intervals,  Robert  (whose  saddle,  it 
afterwards  appeared,  had  turned  round  early  in  the 
race)  whipping  in.  There  was  a  general  laugh 
when  I  explained  my  novel  method  of  stimulating 
a  mule,  which  was  redoubled  when,  upon  my  own 
confession,  I  disqualified  Corresponsal^  and  awarded 
the  race  to  the  second  animal. 

Our  rapid  progress  was  delayed  in  the  Valle  de 
la  Tolorzia,  owing  to  the  very  uneven  nature  of  the 
ground.  Here  the  strata  seen  are  twisted  and  con- 
torted in  every  conceivable  direction,  as  though 
Nature  had  given  them  birth  during  an  extra 
violent  convulsion.  Here,  too,  as  at  Montes 
Conales,  the  evidences  of  ice  action  are  plainly 
visible. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  overtook  the  baggage- 
mules  at  Puente  del  Inca,  a  marvellous  natural 
bridge,  over  which  the  railway  will  later  on  pass. 


L 


54  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Beneath  this  bridge  are  grottos,  adorned  with  in- 
numerable stalactites,  and  containing  thermal  springs, 
which  enjoy  a  high  medicinal  reputation  both  in 
Argentina  and  in  Chile.  ^  Much  to  the  surprise  of 
Senor  Guillermo,  his  friend  Pedro  had  departed 
with  the  other  correspondents  for  Chile,  whence,  as 
we  afterwards  learnt,  they  almost  immediately  re- 
turned. We  would  fain  have  stopped  here  over- 
night, but  our  muleteers  insisted  upon  pushing  on  to 
Las  Cuevas,  alleging  that  the  distance  fromiPuente 
del  Inc^  to  the  summit  of  the  Cordillera  was  too 
great  for  the  mules  to  perform  before  10  a.m.,  at 
which  hour  dangerously  strong  wii:ids  commence  to 
sweep  the  frozen  pinnacle.  Our  Las  Vacas  friends 
confirmed  this  statement  ;  and  so,  with  barely  time 
for  refreshment  and  an  all  too  brief  inspection  of  the 
beauties  of  the  Inca's  Bridge,  we  made  a  start  for 
Las  Cuevas,  the  baggage-mules  again  preceding  us. 
The  sun  had  set  ere  we  reached  the  Cajon  del 
Rio  de  las  Cuevas — a  chasm  of  unknown  pro- 
fundity— and  as  there  is  scarcely  any  twilight  in 
the  Andes,  the  last  mile  of  our  journey  was 
effected  in  total  darkness.  Trusting  entirely  to 
the  instinct  of  our  mules,  though  the  track  here  is- 
known  to  be  extremely  dangerous,  we  safely 
arrived  at  last  at  the  jposada.  The  dinner  was 
quite  good  enough  for  hungry  travellers  to  do 
justice  to  it  ;  but  when  the  question  of  sleeping 
accommodation  was  broached,  and  we  were  shown 
our  quarters,  we   knew  that  at  least  we  were  '  in 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  55 

for  roughing  it '  with  a  vengeance.      It  was  a  shed 
used  apparently  as  a  lumber-room,  hen-roost,  dog- 
kennel,  and  asylum  generally  for  such  animals  as 
preferred  a  roof  to  the  open  air.      However,  with 
the  help  of  a  liberal  supply  of  blankets,  we  made 
the  best  of  it.      Having  prepared  what  appeared 
to  be  a  cosy  corner,  I  was  just   about   to   extin- 
guish   the    light    and    turn    in,    when   I    espied  a  ^ 
colony  of    fowls    roosting    just    above    my   head,  v 
Now,  there   are   obvious    and   valid    objections   to 
these     neighbours,    and,    as    I    did     not     care    to 
abandon    my    corner,    I    decided    to    dislodge    the 
enemy.       First  *my    own   boots    and    then    other 
people's    boots,    and    then    every    missile    I    could 
first    lay    hands    on,    were    hurled    in    rapid    suc- 
cession at  those  intrusive  birds.      With  wild  cries 
they    flew,    fluttered,    and    fell     about    the    room. 
The  dogs,  inside  and  out,  hearing  the  din,  joined 
in  with  great  spirit ;  two  goats,  hitherto  unnoticed, 
careered  wildly  about  the  place — all  was  noise  and 
confusion. 

*  Mon    Dieu  /'    cried   Monsieur   L ,    waking 

with  a  jump,  whilst  Robert  and  my  secretary  sat 
rubbing  their  eyes  in  bewilderment.  *  Mon  Dieu  ! 
quest  ce  quil  y  a  done  f 

I  explained  as  well  as  I  could,  for  laughing. 

*  Mais  cest  infdme  /'  cried  the  irritated  French- 
man, making  a  wild  grab  at  a  fugitive  fowl  hotly 
pursued  by  a  terrier.  '  A  la  porte  toute  la  hande  /' 
And,  opening  the  door,  he,  assisted  by  the  other 


56  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

two,  and  by  the  dogs,  which  vastly  enjoyed  the 
impromptu  fowl-hunt,  made  frantic  efforts  to  expel 
the  disturbers  of  his  slumbers.  As  for  me,  I  could 
do  nothing  but  roar  with  laughter.  If  the  row 
was  bad  before,  it  was  now  ten  times  worse. 

'  PerOj  por  Dios,  caballeros,  que  hay  f  exclaimed 
the  owner  of  a  shock-head  appearing  at  the  door. 
He  speedily  understood  the  situation  and  duly 
apologized.  *  But,'  said  he,  *  who  could  expect 
that  the  caballeros  would  mind  a  few  fowls  V 

'A  few  fowls  r  cried    Monsieur  L ;  '  why, 

it's  a  veritable  menagerie  !' 

However,  the  intruders  were  at  length  expelled, 
and  we  finished  the  night  in  peace. 

With  all  his  efforts,  Jose  found  it  difficult  to  get 
us  away  by  seven  o'clock  next  morning,  and  at  the 
last  moment  Robert  tearfully  objected  to  return- 
ing to  Puente  del  Inca  (as  per  agreement),  and 
begged  so  hard  to  be  allowed  to  go  on  with  me 
that,  as  usual,  I  gave  way. 

^  The  ascent  to  the  Cumbre,  the  topmost  point  of 
the  Cordillera,  and  more  than  13,000  feet  above 
sea-level,  is  naturally  very  steep,  and  the  track  is 
made  as  tortuous  as  possible  to  ease  the  mules. 
Hence  it  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  ere  we  reached 
the  summit,  an  ice-bound  plateau,  and  commenced 
the  descent  upon  the  Chilian  side,  which  is  far 
steeper  than  the  other.  Indeed,  so  precipitous  is 
the  fall,  that  even  the  mules  could  with  difficulty 
keep  their  footing,  and  for  a  short  distance  it  was 


^G  THE  ANDES  57 


deemed  prudent  to  dismount  and  descend  on  foot. 
The  traveller  readily  understands  how  completely 
impassable  this  track  is  in  the  winter-time,  when 
buried  beneath  many  fathoms  of  snow.  It  may 
be  noted  that  the  pass  is,  ordinarily,  quite  safe, 
so  far  as  snow  is  concerned,  between  the  months 
of  October  and  May,  and  is  frequently  traversed 
by  ladies.  The  Andine  mules  are  so  marvellously  ^ 
surefooted  that  accidents  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
So  the  most  timid  reader,  who  may  deem  sublime 
scenery  worth  a  long  voyage,  need  be  under  no 
special  apprehension  about  crossing  the  Cordillera 
at  the  right  season. 

About  3,500  feet  from  the  summit  lies  the 
Laguna  del  Portillo,  as  dreary  a  sheet  of  water 
as  the  world,  perhaps,  contains,  but,  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  lofty  hills,  picturesque  in  its  very 
desolation.  It  is,  of  course,  fed  by  the  snow, 
which  melts  in  the  summer-time.  Near  the  lake 
is  a  rough  stone  shanty,  for  the  shelter  of  weary 
or  weather-beaten  travellers. 

\  Beyond  this  is  a  precipitous  descent,  adorned  by 
a  thundering  cascade,  and  known  as  the  Salto  del  ^ 
Soldado,  or  Soldier's  Leap.  The  name  was  due  to 
some  unfortunate  deserter,  the  guide  said,  who  pre- 
ferred death  in  this  form  to  recapture.  In  wild 
grandeur,  it  scarcely  comes  up  to  Govett's  Leap  in 
the  Blue  Mountains  of  New  South  Wales. 

The  junction  of  the  rivers  Blanco  and  Mendoza 
occurs   in  a   valley  of  unsurpassed   beauty.      One 


58  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

could  watch  for  hours  the  milk-white  waters  of 
the  Blanco  rushing  along  to  unite  with  the  clear 
stream  of  the  Mendoza,  amid  a  profusion  of  luxu- 
riant, if  somewhat  stunted,  vegetation.  It  has 
nothing  in  common  with  the  Vale  of  Avoca,  but 
is,  on  a  wilder  scale,  quite  as  effective  a  meeting  of 
the  waters. 

The  most  conspicuous  landmark  from  the 
Cumbre,  looking  in  the  direction  of  Chile,  is^  El 
Juncal,  a  huge  extinct  volcano,  towards  which  we 
had  been  slowly  making  our  way.  At  the  foot  of 
El  Juncal  is  a  capital  little  posada,  which  we  reached 
at  about  1  p.m.  Here  we  had  luncheon  and  heard 
some  good  news. 

I  should  have  stated  that,  hearing  at  Puente 
del  Inca  that  a  carriage -road  existed  between 
Juncal  and  Santa  Rosa  de  Los  Andes,  I  tele- 
graphed to  the  authorities  at  the  latter  town 
requesting  that  a  conveyance  might  be  permitted 
to  meet  me  at  Juncal.  This  was  necessary,  as  the 
passport  system  was  being  strictly  enforced.  We 
now  learnt  that  a  carriage  was  on  its  way  to  pick 
us  up.  At  three  o'clock  it  made  its,  appearance, 
an  ancient  but  roomy  barouche,  drawn  by  good 
horses  yoked  three  abreast.  After  all  this  mule- 
work,  it  was  a  distinct  treat  to  do  the  last  seventy 
kilometres  on  wheels.  Jose  undertook  to  be  in 
Los  Andes  with  the  baggage-mules  early  next 
morning ;  and,  the  driver  having  changed  his 
horses,  away  we  went  at   a   hand -gallop.      Senor 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  59 

Guillermo  confessed  to  me  afterwards  that  he 
never  regretted  anything  so  much  in  his  hfe  as 
having  abandoned  his  mule.  And,  in  good  sooth, 
it  was  a  sensational  drive. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  we  were  not  yet 
out  of  the  Andes,  that,  in  fact,  we  had  seventy 
kilometres  of  mountain  work  yet  to  do  before 
reaching  Santa  Rosa,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of 
the  Chilian  side  of  the  range.  It  soon  became 
apparent  that  the  vaunted  carriage-road  was,  in 
the  most  dangerous  places,  little  better  than  a 
mule-track  —  just  wide  enough  for  four  wheels. 
At  certain  intervals  recesses  had  been  made  to 
enable  vehicles  to  turn  or  to  pass  each  other  ;  but 
what  would  be  done  if  two  met  at  any  considerable 
distance  from  such  a  recess,  witness  knoweth  not. 
As  we  sped  along,  it  became  evident  that  our 
driver  was  a  first-rate  whip,  and  confidence  revived. 
But,  at  first,  to  lean  out  and  see  the  wheels  passing 
within  a  few  inches  of  a  sheer  descent,  reminded 
me  of  New  Zealand  coaching  in  the  olden  days, 
and  gave  me  a  cold  shiver.  When  we  came  to  the 
worst  part  of  the  ascent  a  boy  on  horseback  awaited 
us  to  give  us  a  tow.  And  a  stiff  climb  it  was  for 
the  game  little  horses,  so  stiff  that  I  several  times 
proposed  to  get  out  and  walk.  But  this  the  driver 
would  not  hear  of. 

*  No,  senor,'  he  said  ;  *  it's  hard  work,  but  they 
can  do  it.  I  have  to  work  hard ;  I  dare  say  your 
excellency  works  hard   also.     You   pay  for   their 


b. 


6o  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

corn,  and  they  must  earn  it/  My  philosopher 
secretary  affirmed  that  our  driver  was  a  born 
logician.  If  so,  he  presently  made  it  appear  that 
he  had  another  side  to  his  character. 

As  we  were  nearing  the  summit,  I  heard  a 
snap,  and  felt  unmistakably  that  some  accident 
had  befallen  the  spring  especially  responsible  for 
my  person.  Arrived  at  the  top,  I  made  known 
my  conviction  to  our  jehu.  He  got  down  and 
found  that,  in  fact,  one  of  the  many  metal  layers 
which,  welded  together,  form  a  spring  (their 
technical  name  I  know  not)  had  parted  company 
with  its  fellows.  However,  a  few  turns  of  stout 
whipcord  soon  settled  that  matter  entirely  to  his 
satisfaction  ;  but  not  so  entirely  to  mine. 

'  CoclierOy  I  inquired,  '  do  you  think  that  spring 
will  stand  V 

*  Quien  sahe,  senor  f  he  answered,  briskly  mount- 
ing to  his  seat.  '  Puede  ser  f  ( WJio  hnoivs,  sir ! 
Perhaps  it  will.)  And  the  boy  having  disappeared, 
we  commenced  the  descent  at  a  brisk  canter. 

This  was  more  than  a  philosopher  could  stand. 
Guillermo,  who  sat  next  to  Robert  upon  the  front 
seat,  stood  up  to  expostulate.  Did  the  cochero 
want  to  kill  us  and  himself?  In  the  name  of 
reason,  with  a  broken  spring,  why  not  go  more 
slowly  ?  But  the  ^  born  logician  '  would  not  listen 
to  argument,  until,  at  last,  the  philosopher  lost 
patience,  revoked  his  former  opinion,  and  even, 
in    his    wrath,    cast     asgersions    upon    our   jehu's 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES  6i 

pedigree.  Whereupon  jehu  also  waxed  wroth, 
and  answered  : 

^  See   you   here,  sir  :   even  a   dog  has  but  one  ^ 
master  at  a  time.      I  serve  the  Senor  Corresponsal, 
and  from  him  only  will  I  take  my  orders.' 

But   I,   partly,    I   fear,   not   to   be   outdone  by 

Monsieur   L ,  who   was   taking   matters  very 

calmly,  held  my  peace.  And  Senor  Guillermo 
remained  standing  until  we  came  to  more  level 
ground,  avowedly  in  order  that  when  the  in- 
evitable crash  came  he  might  be  prepared  to  spring 
out.  No  crash,  however,  did  come,  and,  upon  the 
whole,  I  have  seldom  enjoyed  a  wheel-gallop  more. 

At  a  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  Santa  Rosa 
we  stopped  at  the  Custom-house,  where  we  were 
politely  informed  that  no  examination  of  baggage 
would  be  necessary.  But  were  the  passports  of 
the  gentlemen  accompanying  me  en  regie  ?     I  had 

arranged  my  secretary's,  and  Monsieur  L had 

his,  but  Robert,  of  course,  had  none.  Then  would 
the  Senor  Corresponsal  vouch  for  the  young  gentle- 
man s  respectability  ?  Of  course,  he  was  travelling 
under  my  protection.  That  was  quite  sufficient, 
the  senor  and  his  friends  could  proceed  ;  and  after 
an  elaborate  series  of  bows  we  proceeded.  It 
was  nearly  nine  o'clock  when  we  reached  Santa 
Rosa  and  drew  up  at  the  Hotel  Colon.  And  oh  ! 
the  comfort  of  sitting  down  once  more  to  a  first- 
class  supper,  with,  above  all,  the  certain  prospect 
of  a  good  bed. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CHILE    AND    ITS    CONDITION. 

Santiago — A  State  of  Siege — Eevolutionist  Opinions  of  Presi- 
dent Balmaceda — Wanted  :  Evidence — I  hear  the  other 
Side  of  the  Question — An  Interview  with  Balmaceda — His 
Views — A  Eeview  of  the  Situation — A  Sketch  of  GhiHan 
Society — Chile  and  British  Enterprise — Colonel  North  and 
his  Mission — Dr.  Eussell  upon  *  Chile  and  the  Nitrate 
Fields '  —  Eealized  Prophecy  —  Eevolutionary  Tactics  —  I 
arrive  at  Conclusions — Eight  or  Wrong? 

Jose  did  not  turn  up  with  his  mules  and  our  bag- 
gage so  early  as  he  had  promised — not,  indeed, 
before  3  p.m.  There  was,  consequently,  ample 
time  to  have  a  good  look  round  the  pretty  town- 
ship of  Santa  Kosa  de  Los  Andes.  Like  nearly  all 
the  towns  in  South  America,  it  is  laid  out  in 
squares,  of  which  a  side  measures  about  a  hundred 
and  twenty  yards.  The  streets  are  wide,  decently 
paved,  and  lined  with  rows  of  well-grown  poplars. 
The  public  buildings  are  not  noteworthy.  Beyond 
a  return  visit  to  Don  Manuel  Nunez,  Governor  of 
the  province,  who  had  welcomed  me  very  cordially 
to  Chile,  and  a  rapid  inspection  of  the  extensive 
workshops  of  the  Messrs.  Clark  (of  whose  Transan- 
dine  Railway  Santa  Rosa  is  the  Chilian  terminus), 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  63 

paying  off  Jose,  and  catching  the  6.20  train  for 
Santiago,  nothing  remained  to  be  done.  We  duly- 
reached  the  capital  at  11  o'clock,  and  installed  our- 
selves at  the  Gran  Hotel  de  Francia.  Here  I  said 
farewell  to  Monsieur  L ,  who  purposed  pro- 
ceeding to  Valparaiso  by  an  early  train,  and  it  is 
satisfactory  to  record  that  we  parted  with  mutual 
regret  ;  but,  of  course,  I  still  had  my  Lost  Child 
on  my  hands,  and  considerable  trouble  the  dear  boy 
gave  me  before  I  finally  started  him  for  La  Belle 
France. 

We  were  now  fairly  upon  the  scene  of  our  future 
labours,  and  it  behoved  my  secretary  and  myself 
to  bestir  ourselves.  He,  being  an  Argentine,  was 
necessarily  strongly  prejudiced  against  all  things 
Chilian,  just  as  Chilians  regard  with  contempt  all 
things  Argentine.  He  had  no  particular  sym- 
pathies either  with  or  against  the  existing  Govern- 
ment, and  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  form  an 
unbiased  opinion,  based  upon  his  own  observations. 
I  therefore  gave  him  carte  blanche,  together  with  a 
sufficiency  of  dollars,  to  pursue  his  investigations 
independently  of  mine.  Two  heads  are  better  than 
one,  but  more  especially  when  one  is  the  head  of 
a  philosopher.  It  w^as,  moreover,  further  agreed 
that,  should  I  find  communication  with  the  outer 
world  blocked  or  hampered,  he  was  to  bear 
despatches  back  to  Puente  del  Inca,  whence  they 
could  be  transmitted  vid  Buenos  Aires,  said 
despatches  being  previously  committed  to  memory, 


64  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


so  as  to  obviate  the  danger  of  carrying  compro- 
mising papers.  This  possibly  necessary  expedient 
was,  indeed,  my  principal  reason  for  bringing  him 
with  me. 

Upon  the  day  succeeding  our  arrival — and, 
indeed,  for  many  subsequent  days — I  was  favoured 
with  a  pretty  continuous  stream  of  visitors,  all 
patriotically  anxious  to  enlighten  me  upon  the 
political  situation.  It  was  my  duty  to  listen,  and  I 
pride  myself  upon  being  a  perfect  Boswell  in  this 
respect.  Certainly  my  endurance  was  sorely 
tested  :  I  was  interviewed  ^  from  morn  till  dewy 
eve ' ;  and  if  I  failed  to  grasp  the  logic  of  the 
revolutionist  arguments,  it  assuredly  was  not  from 
lack  of  instruction.  Some  of  my  informants  ap- 
peared to  take  my  advocacy  of  the  insurgent  cause 
for  granted.  The  bare  fact  that  I  was  English 
was  almost  enough  ;  the  fact  that  I  represented  the 
Times  was,  or  should  be,  more  than  enough.  But 
these  deductions  I  at  once  overruled.  It  was  true 
that  the  sympathies  of  most  Englishmen  in 
England,  led  by  the  press,  were  upon  the  side  of 
Congress  ;  but  it  was  also  true  that  the  opinions  of 
this  sympathy-directing  press  were  based  entirely 
upon  ex  parte  revolutionary  statements,  and  that 
even  these  statements  had  latterly  become  so 
obviously  inaccurate  and  contradictory  as  to  beget 
a  general  distrust  of  all  Chilian  news  received.  It 
was  true  that  I  represented  the  Times,  but  I  did 
so,  according  to  my  written  instructions,  as  a  per- 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  65 

fectly  free  agent,  whether  my  views  should  coincide 
with  those  held  by  the  leading  journal  or  not.  It 
must  be  clearly  understood  that  I  had  not  travelled 
12,000  miles  merely  to  play  echo  to  Congressional- 
ist  statements,  and  that,  although  I  could  not  help 
being  somewhat  prejudiced  in  favour  of  Congress,  I 
would  allow  no  such  prejudices  to  guide  me  in 
arriving  at  a  decision.  It  was  easy  to  denounce 
Balmaceda  as  a  tyrant,  a  ruffian,  a  murderer  ;  but 
I  required  evidence  of  his  tyranny,  of  his  ruffianism, 
of  his  murders.  One  gentleman,  claiming  to  be  an 
Englishman  and  *  in  business,'  and  who,  should  this 
book  ever  fall  into  his  hands,  may  possibly  recog- 
nise himself  under  the  initial  X ,  undertook  to 

supply  me  with  the  required  proofs  in  abundance  ; 
and  I  rejoiced  to  think  that  I  should  have  such 
solid  material  to  work  upon.  He  would,  upon 
leaving  me,  at  once  proceed  to  reduce  the  whole 
affair  to  black  and  white. 

^  Meanwhile,'   he    proceeded,    '  you    can  see    for 
yourself  on  all  sides  abundant  evidence  of  Balma- 

ieda's  tyranny.' 
'  Where  V  I  asked,  producing  my  note-book. 
*  Well,  in  the  first  place,  Santiago  has  been  de- 
clared in  a  state  of  siege.' 

It  flashed  across  my  mind  that  I  was  in  a  state 
of  siege  also. 

'  Yes,'  said  I,  '  so  I  understand  ;  but  the  declara- 
tion does  not   seem  to  press  very  hard  upon  the 

5 


66  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

citizens.  A  deaf  man  might  live  here  a  long  time 
without  finding  it  out,  I  imagine.' 

'  Ah  yes,  outwardly  things  appear  quiet  enough ; 
but  it  places  enormous  power  in  the  hands  of  Bal- 
maceda  s  police.  Why,  in  the  suite  of  rooms  oppo- 
site to  yours  a  leading  member  of  our  party  is  con- 
fined to  the  hotel  on  parole  ;  and  a  special  gaol  has 
been  fitted  up  for  political  prisoners,  where  upwards 
of  forty  prominent  men  are  at  the  present  moment 
under  lock  and  key.  One  of  the  very  chiefs  of  the 
revolutionary  movement,  Carlos  Walker  Martinez, 
has  been  driven  to  hide  himself  at  the  British  Em- 
bassy to  avoid  arrest.      Is  not  all  this  tyranny  ?' 

'■  Unquestionably,'  I  asserted,  ^  this  is  tyranny  ; 
but  it  is  hardly  sensational  enough  for  my  purpose. 
Can  you,  sir,  supply  me  with  a  single  instance  of  a 
revolution,  ancient  or  modern,  which  was  not  ac- 
companied by  such  imprisonments,  or  worse  ? 
Detention  upon  parole  in  a  first-class  hotel  is  a 
novelty,  and  so  also,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  is  the 
conversion  of  a  British  Embassy  into  an  asylum  for 
a  person  who,  on  your  own  showing,  is  a  rebel 
leader.  I  must  have  more  than  this — a  great  deal 
more.' 

*  And  you  shall  have  it,  my  dear  sir,'  exclaimed 
my  visitor.  *  Read  carefully  the  paper  which  I 
will  complete  and  bring  you  later  on.  It  will 
convince  you — it  must  convince  you — that  Balma- 
ceda  is  the  worst  kind  of  monster.  I  had  intended 
to  address  it  to  a  friend  in  England,  for  publication 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


in  an  English  provincial  journal ;  but  it  will  come 
with  more  force  through  the  columns  of  the 
Times' 

And  he  departed,  I  following  pretty  close  on  his 
heels,  to  escape  any  more  interviewing,  of  which, 
for  that  day,  I  had  had  quite  enough. 

The  city  of  Santiago  has  been  described  so  many 
times  by  others  that  I  do  not  purpose  dwelling 
upon  its  beauties  and  defects  ;  yet  cannot  I  forbear 
adding  my  tribute  of  admiration  of  the  wondrous 
rock,  yclept  Santa  Lucia,  which  dominates  the 
town.  Originally  a  stronghold  for  the  primaeval 
handful  of  Spaniards  against  the  incessant  attacks 
of  the  warlike  natives,  in  more  modern  times  a 
mere  stony  excrescence,  it  became,  thanks  to  the 
life-long  devotion  of  the  late  Senor  Mackenna, 
*  A  thing  of  beauty,  and  a  joy  for  ever.' 

Thither  can  the  wearied  citizen  or  the  curious 
traveller  repair,  on  foot  or  in  carriage,  and  from  the 
summit  enjoy  the  most  magnificent  panorama  which, 
I  think,  the  world  affords.  At  his  feet  lies  the 
entire  city  of  Santiago,  as  plainly  set  forth  as  the 
scenes  in  the  cycloramas  which  used  to  be  (and 
perhaps  still  are)  travelling  round  the  world ; 
behind  him,  the  giant  Cordillera,  with  its  eternally 
snow-capped  heights — distant  indeed,  but  which 
appear  so  close.  And  if  he  be  tired  after  the 
ascent,  or  derive  appetite  from  the  beauteous  scene, 
an  excellent  restaurant  lies  to  his  hand.  What 
more  can  mortal  expect  or  desire  ? 


68  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

One  other  noticeable  fact  struck  me  in  the  course 
of  my  subsequent  drives  and  walks  :  almost  all  the 
finest  public  buildings  appeared  to  be  quite  new,  or 
in  course  of  completion,  the  explanation  whereof 
was  (according  to  the  respective  political  bias  of 
my  informants)  that  Balmaceda  was  bringing  the 
country  to  bankruptcy  by  his  insensate  extrava- 
gance, or  that  he  was  leading  Chile  to  the  front 
\_       /ank  amongst  South  American  republics. 

And  here  I  must  ask  those  of  my  readers  who 
regard  a  book  upon  foreign  travel  as  necessarily  a 
record  of  more  or  less  exciting  incidents  and  adven- 
tures to  skip  many  portions  of  this  chapter,  since 
what  adventures  I  had  befell  me  much  later  on. 
Be  it  remembered  that  I  am,  primarily,  writing 
about  the  Revolution  in  Chile — as  I  saw  it;  and 
clearly  a  book  (however  loosely  constructed)  without 
some  explanation  of  the  political  situation  would  be 
too  much  '  like  the  play  of  Hamlet  without  the 
Prince.'  At  all  events,  I  can  only  tell  my  story  in 
,my  own  way. 

I  saw  nothing  of  my  secretary  that  night. 
Doubtless  he  was  pursuing  his  investigations  ac- 
cording to  his  lights  ;  or  possibly  he  had  fallen 
foul  of  the  state  of  siege,  and  was  in  durance  vile. 
But  I  found  my  Lost  Child  awaiting  me  at  the 
hotel,  and  also  the  promised  manuscript.  After 
dinner  I  sent  Robert  off  to  the  theatre  (the  young 
dog  subsequently  confessed  to  a  music-hall),  with 
my  addressed  card  in  case  he  got  into  any  trouble, 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


for  he  did  not  know  a  word  of  Spanish,  and 
tackled  the  annihilation  of  Balmaceda,  foreshadowed 
by  X ,  taking  notes  as  I  read.  As  a  docu- 
ment denunciatory  of  Balmaceda,  his  aiders  and 
abettors,  the  paper  left  little  unsaid ;  well-nigh 
every  English  adjective  indicative  of  moral  crooked- 
ness was  introduced,  in  the  superlative  degree. 
But — it  was  all  assertion.  Not  one  atom  of  proof 
was  adduced.  As  an  expression  of  individual 
opinion,  from  a  revolutionist  in  Chile  to  a  friend 
in  England,  this  sort  of  reiterated  abuse  might  be 
pronounced  forcible,  and  might  carry  conviction. 
But,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  it  was  worthless. 
Evidence  was  what  I  wanted,  and  evidence  there  "^ 
was  none. 

Next  day  X called,  with  a  packet  in  his 

hand  —  presumably    a    supplementary    edition    of 
superlatives.       I  had  meantime   made  certain   in- 
quiries concerning  this  revolutionist  emissary. 
I      '  Good-morning,'  said  he  ;  *  I  have  brought  you 


\ 


a  few  more  notes- 

'  Pardon  me,'  I  interrupted,  '  are  they  from  the 
same  pen  as  those  you  left  for  me  last  night  V 

'  Most  certainly,'  he  replied,  *  and  upon  the  same 
lines.     I  sat  up  till ' 

'  Then,  sir,'  said  I,  somewhat  rudely,  I  fear,  '  so ' 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  you  sat  up  to  no  purpose. 
I  asked  you  for  bread,  and  you  gave  me  a  stone. 
You   promised   me  proof,    and   you  have  supplied 
e  with  denunciatory  rubbish  which  has,  long  ago, 


70  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

appeared  in  every  paper  in  Europe.  Take  my 
advice,  and,  before  you  mail  it  home,  stick  in  a 
few  names  and  a  little  more  detail.  Another  piece 
of  advice  :  Don't  underrate  the  intelligence  of  the 
Britisher.  Your  accent  betrays  you,  and  your 
profession  is  easily  found  out.  Stick  to  the  "'  Stars 
and  Stripes  "  (there  is  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of 
in  them)  ;  but,  candidly,  your  employers  have 
been  very  badly  advised  in  trying  to  palm  off 
upon  me  a  Yankee  sto_gk4Qbber  as  an  *'  English 
business-man."  ' 

(This  and  the  preceding  conversation  are 
literally,  or  very  nearly  literally,  verbatim^  as  I 
noted  them  down  whilst  fresh  in  my  memory.) 

Finding  no  retort  ready,  he  gathered  up  his 
papers  and  departed,  to  inform  all  and  sundry  (as 
I  subsequently  heard)  that  '  the  fellow  at  the 
Grand  Hotel  is  no  more  the  correspondent  of  the 
Times  than  I  am.'  And  after  this,  beyond  send- 
ing me  copies  of  their  surreptitious  paper.  La 
Revoluciorij  the  revolutionists  left  me  severely 
alone,  contenting  themselves  with  stabbing  me 
behind  my  back,  by  cablegrams  and  letters  to 
London.  This  I  did  not,  of  course,  know  till  long 
afterwards.  But  what  if  I  had  known  ?  I  was 
special  correspondent  of  the  Times.  I  had  not 
lived  long  enough  to  accept  a  commission  as  Descrip- 
tive Writer  for  a  Nitrate  King.  I  held  no  brief. 
And  whether  or  not  my  conclusions  should  prove 
favourable  or  the  reverse  to  Chilian  agitators  and 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


% 


their  foreign  sympathizers,  I  was  resolved  that 
these  conclusions  should  be  based  upon  the  evidence 
of  my  own  senses. 

My  secretary  and  I  devoted  several  entire  days^^ 
to  a  careful  study  of  the  events  which  had  culmi-       \ 
nated  in  open  rupture  between  President  and  Con-        I 
gress,  pursuing   our   investigations    independently,        I 
and     subsequently    comparing     notes.       Speeches,     J 
pamphlets,    etc.,    setting   forth    the    views    of   the       I 
leaders  upon  either  side,  were  easily  procurable  in      / 
abundance,  and  there  was  the  Chilian  Constitution      I 
itself  to    steer   by.       Moreover,    I   had  letters  of  -<^. 
introduction  to  several  leading  residents,  who  one 
and  all    turned   out  to  be  anti-Balmacedists,  and 
who,  having  watched  the  progress   of  events   for 
years,  were  in  a  position  to  make  out  the  strongest 
possible  case  for  Congress.      They  warned  me  not  v\ 
to  hold  too  strongly  by  the  Constitution,  framed 
sixty  years  ago,  and  quite  inconsistent  with  modern 
ideas  of  government,  assuring  me   that  there  had 
sprung  up  a  lex  non  scripta  largely  tempering  its 
autocratic  provisions.      Now,  leges  non  scriptce  are 
vague,  indeterminate  factors  in  legislation,  capable 
of  being  twisted  in  any  required  direction  at  the 
will  of  any  temporary  Parliamentary  majority.      I 
mistrusted  these  unascertainable,  erratic,  unwritten 
laws. 

^  It  chanced  that  a  wealthy  mine-owner,  Senor 
Alfred  Ovalle,  had  been  very  intimate  with  the 
gentleman  wt  i  preceded  me  as   Times  correspon- 


72  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

dent,  and  for  that  reason  called  upon  me.  In 
course  of  conversation,  I  learned  that  after  some 
fifteen  years  of  struggle  as  a  working  miner  he 
had  at  length  struck  ore  so  rich  that  he  had  sprung 
at  a  bound  from  poverty  to  affluence,  being  now- 
known  as  the  '  Chilian  Silver  King.'  Of  him  and 
of  his  amiable  family  I  subsequently  saw  a  great 
deal ;  nor  shall  I  ever  cease  to  remember  with 
gratitude  the  bounteous  hospitality  invariably  ex- 
tended to  me.  In  politics,  he,  at  this  time,  held 
a  very  open  mind.  ''With  President  Balmaceda 
he  was  on  such  strained  terms  that  he  did  not 
visit  the  Moneda  (Government  House).  Indeed, 
he  spoke  very  severely  of  the  President  as  a  man 
who,  although  possessing  great  natural  ability,  was 
largely  responsible  for  the  revolution,  owing  to  his 
susceptibilit}'-  to  flattery,  his  extreme  good-nature, 
and  his"  otter  incapacity  for  saying  ^  No  '  to  any- 
>nejwhom_hedeemed  his  friend. 

'  But,  my  good  sir,'  I  remonstrated,  '  when  you 
speak  of  the  President  as  ^^  extremely  good-natured," 
are  you  aware  that  he  is  almost  universally  re- 
garded as  a  most  bloodthirsty,  remorseless  tyrant?' 

'  Oh  yes,  I  know  that.  The  Oposidores  (Oppo- 
sitionists)^have  been  at  great  pains  to  throw  dust 
in  the  eyes  of  the  foreign  press,  which  Balmaceda 
has  entirely  neglected.  But  bloodthirsty  tyrants 
shed  blood.      What  blood  has  he  shed  V^     See  you 

^^'  So  far  [the  revolution,  apart  from  thf  fighting  in  the 
north,  had  been  conspicuously  free  from  b  )odshed.     Scrim- 


I 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


I 


here.  Two-thirds  of  the  men  who  stirred  up  this 
revolution  owe  their  pohtical  existence  to  the  man 
whom  they  now  turn  to  rend.  If  he  liad  shot 
half  a  dozen  of  them,  all  this  devil's  work  would 
have  been  nipped  in  the  bud.  But  there  !  you 
can  hardly  be  a  fool,  or  you  would  scarcely  have 
been  sent  out  here  on  your  present  mission.  Go 
and  see  the  man  yourself,  talk  with  him,  watch 
him  narrowly,  and  judge  whether  he  be  the  ogre  he 
is  painted.' 

This  was  clearly  good  advice,  and  T  decided  to 
act  upon  it.  I  despatched  a  note  to  the  principal 
secretary,  asking  at  what  time  his  excellency  could 
conveniently  receive  me.  An  aide-de-camp  brought 
back  the  reply  :  the  President  would  be  expecting 
me  at  four  o'clock. 

The  news  had  just  arrived  of  the  defeat  of 
Balmaceda's  troops  at  Pozo  Almonte,  and  created 
a  great  sensation.  If  was  known  that  Colonel 
Robles  had  been  killed,  and  the  greater  portion  of 
his  1,200  men  killed  or  wounded.  This  I,  of 
course,  at  once  wired  to  London,  the  line  being 
opened  for  me  upon  presentation  of  my  card.     And 

mages  with  the  poHce  had,  indeed,  occurred,  and  the  guardians 
of  order  were  accused  of  acting  with  unnecessary  brutality. 
This  seemed  probable  enough.  But,  so  far  as  I  could  learn, 
but  one  life  (that  of  a  deputy,  Sefior  Ossa)  had  been  sacrificed 
in  these  street  rows.  Of  course  no  notice  could  be  taken  of 
the  vague,  unsubstantiated  charges  of  outrage,  freely  alleged  to 
have  occurred  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  unhesi- 
tatingly believed  in  by  revolutionary  sympathizers.  One  can 
take  nothing  on  trust  m  a  South  American  repubUc. 


x^ 


74  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

it  may  be  as  well  here  to  state  briefly  the  positions, 
offensive  and  defensive,  of  the  rival  parties  at  this 

me. 
Upon  January  7  the  commanders  of  the  only 
three  ironclads  in  the  Chilian  fleet,  the  Blanco 
Encalada,  the  Cochrane^  and  the  Huascar,  de- 
clared for  Congress  and  revolted.  The  wooden 
vessels,  numbering  about  a  dozen,  had  no  choice 
but  to  follow  suit,  even  had  their  commanders  been 
otherwise  inclined,  which  is  more  than  doubtful. 
At  all  events,  Balmaceda  found  himself  without 
even  so  much  as  a  cutter.  A  large  number  of 
dissatisfied  members  of  Congress  went  on  board 
the  men-of-war,  which  in  due  course  proceeded 
north  to  attack  Iquique.  Now,  two  very  im- 
portant facts  must  be  borne  in  mind.  Chile,  b6ing 
a  very  long,  narrow  strip  of  land,  may  be  regarded 
as  practically  all  coast-line  ;  consequently  the 
command  of  the  sea  is  all-important,  and  Congress 
commenced  with  an  enormous  advantage.  Secondly, 
Iquique  is  the  capital  of  Tarapacd-,  the  largest  and 
richest  of  the  provinces  conquered  from  Peru  in 
the  last  war,  and  is  the  port  whence  by  far  the 
largest  portion  of  that  valuable  commodity,  nitrate 
of  soda,  is  shipped ;  and  when  it  is  stated  that  ^e 
export  duties  upon  nitrate  yield  some  $30,000,000 
per  annum,th.e  value  of  the  northern  capital  as  a  basfs 
for  operations  will  be  at  once  understood.      Why,  it 

ay  be  asked,  did  not  the  fleet  attack  Valparaiso, 
itself  a  very  hotbed  of  sympathizers  with  Congress  ? 


A-^.-^r;-5*^.-V> 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  .       77 

_  _—    ,.»>--., 

The   answer    is    simple.       The  army  (which   then 
numbered    only  some    6,000   men)    stood    by    the 

President,  and  Valparaiso  is  very  strongly  fortified.. ^ 

"Hiis    behaviour    of   the    troops   was  a    great    dis- 
appointment   to  the   insurgent    leaders,    who    had 
counted    upon    their    co-operation.       However,    asir — > 
matters   stood,  it  was  decided  to  attack  Iquique, 
establish     there     the     revolutionary    headquarters, 
defray  expenses  by  appropriating  the  nitrate  duties, 
and  trust  to  jfcime  and  diplomacy  for  the  final  result. 
Iquique    was    practically  'unfortified,    and    in    the 
presence  of  a  powerful  fleet  was,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,   an    open    town.       Its  capture    did    not, 
therefore,  appear  to  be  a  matter  of  much  difficulty. 
Still,   the  garrison  might  oflfer  a  stubborn,  possibly 
a    successful,    resistance,    and    failure  would    have 
a    very    demoralizing    effbct    upon    the    insurgent 
forces.     So  it  was  decided  to  commence  operations       yPi,^ 
I  by  bombarding  Pisagua,  also  a  nitrate  port,  situated        \ 
some  forty  miles  or  less  further  north.      This  was    ^^^ 
done,  and  the  town  captured.  ^ 

Next  followed  a  combat  at  Zapiga,  several  miles'^, 
inland,  in  which  the  rebels,  ill-armed,  and  as  yet 
ill-disciplined,  were  routed  by  a  detachment  of 
Government  troops,  which  at  once  marched  upon 
Pisagua  and  retook  it  after  some  desperate  fighting. 
A  terrific  bombardment  ensued,  during  which  the 
unfortunate  inhabitants  suffered  untold  horrors,  and 

erloTYiQrro  ^vas  done  by  fire  and  shell  to  the  computed 
of  at  least  a  million  dollars.     Pisagua  once 


78  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

^  j  more  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  insurgents.  Colonel 
Robles,  who  commanded  in  chief  for  Balmaceda, 
pushed  forward  to  retake  it,  and  was  met  by  the 
revolutionists  near  a  village  called  San  Francisco. 
After  a  bloody  struggle,  in  which  both  sides 
fought  with  the  ferocity  of  tigers,  neither  giving 
nor  taking  quarter,  the  Government  troops  were 
totally  defeated,  leaving  two-thirds  of  their  number 
upon  the  field.  The  garrison  left-  at  Iquique 
hastened  up  to  support  Robles,  and  the  insurgents 
/profited  by  its  absence  to  occupy  the  town. 

Having   joined    the    remnant  of   his  troops    to 

those    from    Iquique,    Colonel    Robles    once   more 

attacked  at  Huaraz.      This  time  the  revolutionists 

were  beaten,  and  such  as  escaped  massacre  retreated 

upon   Iquique,  hotly  pursued  by  a  detachment  of 

Government  troops  under  Colonel  Soto.      The  town 

was  carried    by   assault,   and   had  Colonel  Robles 

hastened   up  with   reinforcements,   the  position  of 

the  insurgents  would  have  been  desperate.      Their 

sole   hope    of  holding    out  against    the  President 

depended  upon  the  possession  of  Iquique.     At  all 

hazards,   therefore,    at   any  sacrifice,   the  northern 

capital  must  be  retaken. 

^^s::s:f==p^      Accordingly,    on  JFebruary    17,    the   insurgent 

\        I    I  fleet,  accompanied  by  the  British  squadron  '  to  see 

-^^.   /   I  fair    play,'    commenced   a   vigorous    bombardment. 

^^^  I    The  garrison  replied  as  well  as  it  could  ;  but  what 

avail  field-pieces   against   heavily-armed  ironclads  ? 

For  nearly  twelve  hours  the  unequal  duel  went  on. 


^; 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


Soto,    although    wounded,   holding  out  with  great 
determination.      By  this   time    a   large   portion   of 
the  town  was  in  ruins,  fires  were  raging  fiercely, 
and  a  wholesale  destruction  of  the  place  imminent. 
But  Soto  had  resolved  that,  if  Iquique  did  fall,  it^ 
should  not  be  much  use  to  its  captors,  and  pounded      j 
away  at  the  ships  as  fast  as  his  wearied  men  could     J 
load  the  guns.      Considering  that  a  large  propor-    \ 
tion  of  the  property  thus  being  reduced  to  ashes       ■ 
and  ruins  was  British-owned,  Bear- Admiral  Hotham      i 
at  length  proposed  an  armistice,  with  a  view  to  some 
sort  of  arrangement.      To  this.  Colonel  Soto,  whose 
force,  by  losses  and  desertions,  had  been  reduced  to 
dho\xt  forty  men  (why  did  not  the  attacking  force 
storm    the    place    in    boats  ?),  and   who    had    sent 
messenger  after    messenger    to    his    nearest    ally,  "^ 
Colonel  Bobles,  praying  for  reinforcements,  agreed,      \ 
after     consulting     with     the     Intendente,     Senor    --^ 
Salinas. 

At    twelve     o'clock     next     day,    Rear -Admiral    ^ 
Hotham   and   Captain  Lambton  went  ashore,  and 
brought  off  Colonel    Soto  and  Senor  Salinas  to  a 
conference  with  the  revolutionary  leaders  on  board     j 
the  War  spite,  ^ 

As  showing  the  fratricidal  nature  of  the  struggle, 

I  deem  it  worth  while  to  translate  a  letter  sent  by^ 

General  Urrutia — the  only  Chilian  general  who^  \ 
had  desertei^Balmaceda — to  his  old  school-fellow  \ 
and^friend.  Colonel    Soto.      I  gi ve  it  ~raTher  li ter- 

6 


82  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

*  Iquique  Harbour, 

'Feb.  18th,  1891. 
'  Senor  J.  M.  Soto. 

^  My  dear  Pepe, 

'•  Why,  being  friends,  do  we  to-day  face 
each  other  as  foes,  to  exchange  rifle-shots  in  a  few 
hours  more  ?  Would  not  an  embrace  be  preferable, 
which  should  draw  yet  closer  our  former  and  never- 
belied  friendship  ?  As  to  my  old  woman  (yieja) 
Lina,  the  tears  will  stream  down  her  cheeks  when 
she  learns  that  two  persons  so  dear  to  her  have 
been  at  daggers-drawn.  Does  nothing  strike  you 
to  save  this  awkward  situation  ?  Could  we  not 
have  a  conference  on  board  a  neutral  ship  ? 

*  What  more  can  I  urge,  except  to  bid  you 
remember  our  wives  and  children :   your  children  ! 

*  I  bid  you  assure  [your  wife]  Cantalicia,  upon 
my  word  of  honour,  that  if  Fate  should  part  us 
far,  far  apart,  and  if  I  survive,  she  will  find  in  me 
a  true  friend,  eager  to  do  all  that  may  be  possible 
to  serve  her  and  her  children. 

*  Can  you  send  me  a  reply  ?  A  farewell,  an 
embrace,  from  your  affectionate  friend  {amigo  de 
corazon). 

'  G.  Urrutia.' 

*  I  had  reason  to  know  afterwards,'  adds  Colonel 
Soto,  *  what  all  these  fine  promises  were  worth.' 

r— ^=^      The   conference  took  place.     The  revolutionists 

1        were   represented   by   Seilores    Waldo   Silva,  Jqrje 

/        Montt.    and    General    Urrutia ;     the     Government 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  83 

party  by  Senor  Salinas^  Colonel  Soto,  and  Captain 

K  Campilla ,_E,ear- Admiral    Hotham    and   Captain 

Lambton  acted  as  witnesses.  A  surrender  was 
finally  agreed  upon,  and  carried  into  effect,  whereby 
all  the  Government  troops  then  in  Iquique  should 
surrender  their  arms.  And,  as  luck  would  have  it, 
a  reinforcement,  sent  by  Robles,  had  meanwhile 
arrived.  /However,  a  bargain  is  a  bargain,  especi- 
ally if  made  in  the  presence  of  a  British  Admiral 
commanding  a  powerful  squadron.  And  thus 
Iquique  definitely  came  into  the  hands  of  the 
insurgents. 

Unquestionably  Colonel  Soto  committed  a  fatal 
blunder  in  giving  up  the  town.      He  should  have 
held  out  to  the  bitter  end.      The  vital  importance 
of  Iquique  to  the  rebels  would  have  justified  him 
in  sacrificing  his  last  man  in  its  defence.      And  re- 
inforcements were   only  a  question  of  time.      But 
poor    Soto   was,    after    all,    but    a    simple-minded 
soldier.      His   chief,  Senor  Salinas,  whom  I  know 
well,   is  a   timorous   civilian  who  wears  spectacles. 
This  small  force  had  dwindled  to  a  mere  handful  of 
worn-out,  disheartened  men. ,    Urrutia's  clever  letter     j 
demoralized  him  ;  and   he  was   bluflfed   out   of  his     J 
seven   senses  on  board  the  Warspite/    It  is  hard^ 
to   blame    Soto.      But   Robert   CHve  would    have 
held  out. 

Warned  by  past  experience,  the  insurgents  re- 
solved this  time  to  retain  their  conquest.  '  Every 
man  that  could  be  found  in  Iquique  or  in  the  sur- 


y 


84  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

\  rounding  nitrate-workings  was  persuaded,  or  bribed, 
I  or  impressed  into  their  ranks.  Vessels  were  sent 
up  and  down  the  coast  to  enHst  more  recruits 
wherever  possible.  No  effort  was  spared  to 
organize  a  force  capable  of  resisting  the  formid- 
able Government  divisions  still  in  possession  of  the 
province. 
<^  Then  occurred  a  series  of  blunders  on  the  part 
of  Balmaceda's  colonels  unparalleled  in  the  history 
of  modern  warfare.  Robles  had  1,200  men  within 
striking  distance  of  Iquique  ;  Ga-na  had  .  1,500 
within  two  days'  march  ;  Axratg  had  400  men, 
farther  afield  ;  whilst  the  Camus  division,  nearly 
2,000  strong,  was  within  four  days'  march. 
Against  this  army  the  insurgents  could  barely 
have  opposed  2,500  recruits.  The  obvious  plan 
was  to  unite,  and  fall  upon  Iquique.  But  there 
was  no  head  to  direct.  Colonel  Robles  was  the 
senior  officer,  but  understood  no^Miig'or^trategy^ 

V^and  held  the  rebels  far  too  cheaply.  He  took  up 
a  strong  position  at  a  point  called  Sebastopol,  about 
seventy  miles  from  Iquique,  and  sent  word  to  his 
brother  colonels  to  join  him  there.  But  in  that 
waterless,  desert  region  it  is  not  easy  to  move 
troops  ;  and,  moreover,  the  other  colonels,  acting 
upon  individual  judgment,  had  detached  portions 
of  their  forces  to  protect  coast-towns  farther 
south.  Colonel  Bobles,  a  dashing  leader  despite 
his  seventy  odd  years,  grew  weary  of  waiting  ; 
water  was  running  short  ;  and   so  he  moved  upon 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  85 

Pozo  al  Monte  (the  Well  on  the  Hill),  where  he 
was   joined    by    a    small    detachment    of    Colonel 
Arrate's     forces.       Here,    again,    he    might    have 
awaited  the  overwhelming  Camus  division,  but  he 
had    not   patience.      The   enemy,  he   learned,    was 
advancing  to  attack  him,  and,  believing  firmly  that 
his  troops  could   make   mincemeat  of  treble  their 
number    of    recruits,   he    decided    to    meet    them. 
Fatal  blunder  !     He  had  some   1,300  infantry,  no 
cavalry,  and  but  four  field-pieces,  and  (worst  of  all, 
albeit  he  knew  it  not)  he  tvas  short  of  amTnunition. 
The    insurgents    numbered    2,600,   some    mounted      ' 
infantry,    three    field -batteries,   and    several     Gat- 
ling   guns,  worked  by  the   sailors.      For    a    time, 
despite  their  inferiority  in  numbers,  the  '  regulars ' 
had  the  best  of  the  encounter,  and,  wounded  badly, 
Colonel  Robles  ordered  a  general  advance.^      But    I 
his     adversary.    Colonel    Canto,    was    a    tactician.    3 
Well    knowing   the   sort  of  troops    he  was    com- 
manding, he  had,  in  anticipation  of  Robles'  charge, 
detached   his  cavalry   and   some  companies   of  in- 
fantry to  outflank  him.    '  Colonel  Robles   led  the  \ 
charge  himself  and  fell,  this  time  mortally  wounded. 
The    flank  movement   was   executed   at   the  right      \ 
moment  and  the  usual  massacre  ensued.      And  so  ~| 
resulted  the  battle  of  Pozo  al  Monte.  -^ 

The  other  leaders   (Heaven  only  know^s  why  !) 
abandoned    all    idea     of    retrieving    poor    Robles' 

*  Of  course  I  am  here  anticipating.  By  the  first  accounts 
received  at  Santiago,  it  was  only  known  that  Colonel  Kobles 
had  been  defeated  and  slain.     The  details  came  later. 


S6  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

disaster,  retreated  eastwards,  crossed  the  Andes 
into  neutral  territory,  and  eventually,  after,  untold 
hardships,  recrossed  the  range  into  Chilian  terri- 
tory in  the  depth  of  winter. 

It  must  also  be  stated  that  between  Chile  proper 
and  T§j::apacd^( which,  having  been  conquered  from 
Peru,  is  hardly  yet  Chilian)  an  impassable  desert 
intervenes  ;  and  that,  consequently,  the  only  way 
of  sending  reinforcements  from  Valparaiso  north- 
wards is  hy  sea.  Thus,  President  Balmaceda  had 
been  debarred  from  reinforcing  his  northern 
garrisons. 


Accompanied  by  Senor  Guillermo,  I  presented 
myself  at  the  Moneda  at  the  appointed  hour,  and 
without  delay  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of 
Senor  Balmaceda.  First  impressions  count  for 
something  ;  and  I  think  that  no  one  could  have 
met  the  Chilian  President  for  the  first  time  without 
being  favourably  impressed.  Six  feet  in  height,  of 
spare  but  wiry  build,  some  fifty  years  of  age  ;  in 
general  appearance,  in  fact,  not  unlike  his  brother- 
President  of  Argentina.  A  head  that  probably  a 
phrenologist  would  have  found  fault  with  ;  the 
broad  forehead  a  little  too  sloping,  the  chin  a  trifle 
weak,  the  mouth  un  taut  soit  peu  sensual.  But 
the  good-humoured  gleam  in  the  keen,  penetrating 
eyes,  and  the  smile,  half-playful,  half-cynical,  that 
hovered  about  the  mobile  lips,  gave  not  the  faintest 
\\       indication  of  the  Nero-like  qualities  attributed  to 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


him  by  his  opponents.  There  is  character,  too,  in 
a  hand-shake,  and  the  President's  grip  was  one  to 
remember  for  several  minutes. 

In  my  notes  I  find  the  following  resume  of  our 
conversation.      Quoth  his  Excellency  : 

'  You  arrive  at  a  disastrous  epoch  in  Chilian 
history,  Senor  Corresponsal,  and  I  fear  you  will 
carry  away  with  you  but  a  poor  opinion  of  our 
common-sense,  or  of  our  patriotism.' 

This  was  evidently  a  *  feeler,'  so  I  replied  by 
another. 

^  Subject  to  your  Excellency's  correction,  the 
question  appears  to  me  to  be  rather  a  definite  issue 
upon  points  of  constitutional  rights.  yXo  country 
has  ever  yet  worked  out  its  political  salvation 
without  such  diflferences  of  opinion  as  at  present, 
unhappily,  exist  between  yourself  and  Congress  ; 
nor  can  Chile  hope  to  be  an  exception  to  the 
universal  law.' 

The  President  looked  at  me  keenly  for  a  few 
moments.  I  fancied  I  could  read  his  thoughts  : 
This  correspondent  is  English ;  he  admires  no  system 
of  government  save  his  own  ;  he  believes  that  I 
am  standing  in  the  way  between  Chile  and  the 
adoption  of  a  similar  system.  Then  he  said, 
speaking  very  slowly  and  distinctly,  and  in  a  pure 
Castilian  accent,  good  to  listen  to  : 
^  '  What  you  say,  senor,  is  historically  correct, 
^nd  more  especially  of  England.  Your  records 
indicate  a  continuous  struggle  between  a  dominant 


90  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

aristocracy  and  a  liberty-seeking  people.  And,  in 
course  of  time,  you  have  contrived  to  reconcile  the 
pretensions  of  both.  ^  But  your  ways  are  not  the 
ways  of  the  rest  of  the  world  ;  and  most  certainly 
they  are  not  our  w^ays.  Your  hereditary  throne, 
your  hereditary  House  of  Lords,  and  your  popular 
elective  House  of  Commons  appear  to  harmonize 
with  the  character  of  the  Eno^lish  nation.  But 
they  do  not  meet  the  views  of  younger  nation- 
alities, which  invariably  adopt  a  republican  form 
of  government.  Now,  here  comes  the  great  differ- 
ence. ^With  you,  but  one  out  of  the  three  powers 
which  form  your  constitutional  system  ii^  elective. 
In  a  republic  all  three  are  elective.  Your  two 
hereditary  powers  are,  more  or  less,  automata  ; 
that  is,  neither  Crown  nor  Lords  dare  oppose  a 
strong  expression  of  the  national  will.  We  have 
no  such  automata  ;  least  of  all  is  a  Chilian 
president  such  an  automaton,  being  invested  by 
the  Chilian  constitution  with  powers  greater  even 

^  than  those  of  Congress.  That  his  powers  are 
excessive  is  quite  possible,  is  open  at  least  to 
argument ;  but  that  they  exist  is  certain,  and  open 

to   no   argument    at    all.      You    follow    me  ?'    and 

Senor  Balmaceda  pointed  significantly  to  the 
original  Chilian  constitution,  which,  framed  in 
gold,  adorned  a  side  of  the  room. 

'  Perfectly,'  I  replied ;  ^  your  Excellency's  Spanish 
is  singularly  pure.  But  it  is  asserted,  upon  the 
other  side,  that  custom  and  precedent  had  modified 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITJON 


91 


this  constitution  to  an  extent  which  you  refused 
to  recognise,  and  that  hence  the  quarrel.' 

'No  es  cierto,  serior — such  is  not  the  case  !'  ex- 
claimed the  President,  somewhat  warmly.  '  I  did 
nothing  that  has  not  been  done,  over  and  over 
f  again,  by  my  predecessors.  This  theory  of  Parlia- 
mentary Government  is  a  new  idea,  a  mere  pretext 
of  discontented  factions  to  work  out  their  own 
ends.  I  amjthe_-£rs^^^presentative  of  the  Liberal 
Party  who  has _ ever  held  office.  Ever  since  1833 
^e  aristocracy  has  had  a  monopoly  of  the  Pre- 
sidency, and  up  to  my  election  the  presidential 
powers  were  never  called  into  question.  Moreover, 
when  I  was  sworn  in,  I  took  an  oath  to  uphold 
and  maintain  the  constitution  as  it  stands,  without 

^ reference  to  alleged  precedents  or  philosophical 
theories.  Congress,  by  the  express  terms  of  that 
constitution,  has  no  more  right  to  dictate  to  me 
what  ministers  I  shall  choose  than  it  has  to  ordain 
what  food  I  shall  eat  or  what  clothes  I  shall  wear. 
LIf  I  have  in  any  way  exceeded  my  powers,  let 
Congress  impeach  me  when  my  term  of  office 
shall  have  expired,  which  will  be  but  six  months 
hence,  as  by  law  provided.  I  did  not  frame  the 
constitution,  nor  am  I  responsible  for  its  provisions. 
But  I  am  responsible  before  God  and  man  to  observe 
my  oath ;  and  this,  por  Dios,  senor,  I  shall  do  whilst 
breath  remains  in  my  body.' 

^  It  would  seem,'  I  ventured  to  observe,  ^  that  a 
revision  and  remodelling  of  this  apparently  some- 


1 


D 


/   / 


h 


92  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

what  arrieree  constitution  would   be  the  simplest 
solution  of  the  difficulty.' 

'  Unquestionably/  assented  Senor  Balmaceda, 
*  and  this  has  ever  been  a  prominent  feature  of  the 
Liberal  programme.  But  the  way  to  effect  con- 
stitutional reforms  is-jieither  to  render  government 
impossible,  nor  to  seduce  the  fleet,  norjbaplay  into 
the  hands  of  foreign  capitalists,  nor  to  incite  a 
civil  war.' 

This  was  a  begging  of  the  whole  question,  into 
which,  without  further  study,  I  was  scarcely  pre- 
pared to  enter.      So  I  shifted  the  subject. 

'  Does  your  Excellency  think  that  the  struggle 
will  last  long  ?' 

'  It  would  have  been  over  ere  now,'  was  the 
reply,  '  had  poor  Robles  displayed  more  prudence 
and  less  impetuosity.  He  should  have  awaited  the 
Camus  division  before  he  attacked.  As  it  is,  my 
hands  are  tied  for  want  of  ships  to  transport  troops 
to  the  north.  Our  only  transport,  the  Imperial, 
is  insufficient,  though  had  we  but  three  or  four 
such  vessels,  the  rebellion  would  be  crushed  in  a 
fortnight.  We  may  have  to  await  the  arrival  of 
the  cruisers  Pinto  and  Errazuriz  from  France, 
unless  the  new  torpedo-catchers  succeed  in  crippling 
\or  scaring  the  insurgent  fleet.' 

A  few  other  subjects  were  broached.  Amongst 
other  things,  I  was  assured  that  payment  on  the 
July  coupons  was  already  provided  for.  When  I 
took  my  leave,  it  was  with  a  distinctly  favourable 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


opinion    of   Jose    Manuel    Balmaceda,   an    opinion 
fully   shared    by    my   secretary.      But    then,   as    I 
reflected,  it  was   his   obvious   policy  so  to   impress        i 
me.      And,  in    any   case,    I    must    not    allow   im-w     ( 
pressions  to  influence  my  verdict. 

P  For  several  days  my  secretary  and  I  pursued 
our  investigations,  still  independently  of  each  other. 
I  shall  not  here  reproduce  the  very  voluminous 
notes  which  I  made  as  I  waded  through  a  vast 
pile  of  polemical  literature  andjSles^of^revolutionary 
journals.  But  I  cannot  well  avoid  setting  down 
what  appeared  to  me  to  be  a  fairly  clear  resume  of 
the  political  situation. 

When  in  1817  Chile  threw  oiF  the  Spanish  ""\ 
yoke  and  embarked  upon  the  then  fashionable 
career  of  Republicanism,  it  commenced  its  national 
existence  by  entrusting  autocratic  powers  to  the  • 
soldier-patriot  Bernardo  O'Higgins  (erstwhile  of 
the  County  Meath).  To  him  succeeded  other 
generals,  also  invested  with  practically  despotic 
power,  until  in  1833,  with  the  sanction  of  General 
Joaquin  Prieto,  the  reigning  Director,  a  brand-new 
constitution  was  promulgated,  which  constitution, 
with  trivial  modifications,  is  the  one  still  in  force.* 

I  Like   most   cut-and-dried   ready-made   codes,  it   is   / 
distinctly  of   the   patchwork  order  ;    but  as  little       ] 
republican,  in  its  main  provisions,  as   its  framers 
doubtless  intended  that  it  should  be.      It  empowers 
duly-qualified  Chilian  citizens  to  elect  representa- 

\  *  See  note  on  the  Chilian  constitution,  p.  310. 


94  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

tives  to  a  National  Congress  composed  of  a 
Chamber  of  Deputies  and  a  Chamber  of  Senators, 
provided  that  such  representatives  be  possessed 
respectively  of  incomes  amounting  to  $500  and 
$2,000  per  annum,  and  be  of  legal  age.  ^  In  this 
Congress  the  legislative  power  is  affirmed  to  reside, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the 
Republic.  This  President  is  to  be  chosen  by 
electors  nominated  by  the  provinces  'in  the  pro- 
portion of  three  such  electors  to  each  representa- 
tive ;  his  term  of  office  is  now  five  years  •\nor  can 
the  same  person  be  elected  twice  consecutively!^ 
In  his  hands  are  placed  powers  which  can  only  be 
fairly  described  as  excessive.  Although  bound  to 
convoke  Congress  to  its  ordinary  session  (viz., 
June  1  to  September  1),  he  can  at  any  time  pro- 
rogue the  session  for  fifty  days.  He  can  summon 
Congress  whenever  he  pleases  to  an  extraordinary 
session,  and  for  a  specific  purpose  or  purposes, 
and  can  prorogue  or  dissolve  such  extraordinary 
session  at  his  will.  1  Moreover,  the  Chambers, 
when  thus  summoned  extraordinarily,  '  shall  occupy 
themselves  with  the  business  for  which  thev  have 
been  convoked  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other. LJ 

He  can  appoint  and  remove  all  the  ministers, 
who  are  six  in  number,  at  his  sole  discretion,  and 
has  similar  powers  wdth  respect  to  five  out  of  the 
eleven  members  of  the  Council  of  State,  as  also 
with  respect  to  the  intendentes  of  provinces, 
governors  of  towns,  and  diplomatic  agents. 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  ^95 

He  can  *  dispose  of  the  forces  by  land  and  sea, 
organize  them  and  distribute  them  as  he  may  find 
^convenient/  with   many  other   powers    and   privi- 
leges which  need  not  be  detailed  in  this  place. 

I  It  is  evident  that  such  presidential  prerogatives 
are  wholly  inconsistent  with  what  we  understand 
by  a  system  of  Parliamentary  Government.  In 
fact,  the  very  first  article  of  the  constitution 
Estates  that  *  the  Government  of  Chile  is  a  popular 
representative  one '  (^El  Gohierno  de  Chile  es  popular 
Tepresentativo),  of  which  article  the  entire  consti- 
tution is,  indeed,  an  explanation.  ^  Popular  repre- 
sentation '  sounds  well — rather  too  democratic  for 
most  English  ears.  But,  read  by  the  light  of  th^ 
L  explanatory  clauses,  it  means  just  this  :  a  large 
number  of  people  (not  manhood  suffrage,  by  any 
means)  may  elect  their  deputy  or  deputies  to  the 
Chamber  of  Deputados ;     a   smaller   number,   i.e., 

I  those  paying  higher  rates,  may  elect  senators  ;  and 
a  still  more  carefully-chosen  few  are  authorized  to 
nominate  electors,  who,  in  concurrence  with  other 
similarly  qualified  electors  from  all  parts  of  Chile, 
are  at  liberty  to  nominate,  elect,  and   finally   con- 
^firm  the  candidate  for  the  next  presidency.      Now, 
I  upon   the    face  of   it,   this   arrangement  is  rotten. 
I  It  stands  to  reason  that  A.,  being  actually  Presi- 
dent, will  use  all  his  enormous  influence  to  secure 
i  the  return  of  his  friend  B.      And  if  any  admirer  of 
the   system   of  so-called    *  republican '   government 
will    be   at   the   pains   to   inquire   into   the   whole 


96  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

dreary  subject,  he  will  find  that,  with  scarcely 
an  exception,  in  republic-governed  countries  (and 
especially  in  South  America)  the  multitudinous 
'  revolutions '  have  almost  invariably  hinged  upon 
the  question  :  '  Who  is  going  to  boss  the  show 
next  ?'  I  have  borrowed  the  expression  from  our 
humorous  cousins,  because  it  just  expresses  the 
idea. 

We  are  dealing  with  Chile.  Very  well,  any 
reader  can  form  his  own  judgment  from  the  ex- 
tracts given  in  the  note  on  p.  310.  They  are  all 
that  concern  the  dispute  between  Balmaceda  and 
the  Congress  — ■  absolutely  all.  And  the  ques- 
tion is  simply  this  :  Was  or  was  not  Balmaceda 
right  in  sticking  to  the  letter  of  his  oath?"^  Given 
the  constitution  and  given  the  oath,  the  problem 
reduced  itself  to  a  simple  matter  of  comparison  and 
fact.  Now,  as  to  the  facts  both  sides  were  agreed 
— perhaps  for  the  simple  reason  that,  having  but 
recently  occurred,  there  was  no  possibility  of  dis- 
puting them.  And  here  they  are,  briefly,  in 
historical  sequence. 

Up  to  January,  1890,  all  went  well — that  is, 
the  Liberal  Party,  which  had  returned  Balmaceda 

*  *  I,  Jose  Manuel  Balmaceda,  swear  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  upon  the  Holy  Gospels,  that  I  will  faithfully  fulfil 
my  trust  as  President  of  the  Eepublic  ;  that  I  will  maintain 
the  Catholic  faith;  that  I  will  preserve  the  integrity  and 
independence  of  the  Republic ;  and  that  I  will  respect,  and 
cause  to  be  respected,  the  constitution  and  the  law.  And  so 
may  God  aid  me  and  help  me.  And,  otherwise,  may  He 
demand  of  me  account  of  my  stewardship.' 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION-  97 

to  office,  still  outnumbered  the  hitherto  dominant 
Montt-Varista-'Clerico-Conservative  Party.  \  Some 
grumbling  there  had  been  at  the  President's  ex- 
travagance in  erecting  public  buildings  and  push- 
ing ahead  public  works,  instead  of  saving  up  the 
money  to  redeem  th^  paper-currency,  and  four 
Ministries  had  split  upon  this  very  rock,  Balma- 
ceda  each  time  replacing  them  by  others  holding 
similar  views.  \  Such  a  Ministry  held  office  in 
January,  1890,  but  Congress  had  taken  into  its 
head  that,  in  addition  to  his  lavish  expenditure 
of  the  national  funds  upon  wholly  unnecessary 
brick  and  mortar,  the  President  was  paving  the 
way  for  a  chosen  successor,  alleged  to  be  a  certain 
Senor  San  Fuentes. 

Now,  this-Sair^uentes  was  the  idol  of  a  strong"" 
section  of  the  Liberal  Party,  but  was  cordially 
detested  by  other  sections  of  the  same  party,  and 
these  sections  (daily  increasing  in  number),  rather 
than  have  this  man  forced  upon  them,  threw  their 
lot  in,  temporarily,  with  the  Clericals  and  Conser- 
vatives, and  thus  formed  an  opposition  which  sub- 
sequently rendered  government  impossible.  Hence- 
forth Congress  became  a  skittle-alley,  wherein  votes 
of  censure  were  the  bowls  and  Ministers  the  nine- 
pins. In  vain  Balmaceda  disclaimed  all  intention 
of  supporting  San  Fuentes'  candidature,  and 
pointed  out  that,  by  the  law,  ^io_jy[inister  could 
be  a  candidate ;  in  vain  San  Fuentes  himself 
solemnly  abjured  all  intention  of  competing  for  the 


98  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Presidential  chair.  Congress  would  have  none  of 
him.  Balmaceda  would  not  give  him  up,  and  in 
June  made  him   Prime    Minister.      This  was   too 

'        much  for  Congress,  which  now  fairly  lost  its  head. 

\  Before  the  new  Prime  Minister  had  even  opened 
his  mouth  in  the  House,  a  vote  of  censure  was 
passed.  This  was  not  logical,  but  it  conclusively 
indicated  the  temper  of  Congress.  Balmaceda 
insisted  upon  the  Ministry  remaining  in  office. 
Whereupon  Congress  played  its  strongest  trump- 
card,  refusing  even  to  discuss  an  Appropriations 
Bill  until  such  time  as  the  President  should 
appoint  a  Ministry  enjoying  the  confidence  of  the 
Chambers.  A  dead-lock  ensued.  No  taxes  could 
be  collected,  no  civil  servants  or  Government 
labourers  could  be  paid,  and  menacing  symptoms 
appeared  all  over  the  country,  v  Three  weeks  later, 
to  avert  what  looked  like  a  coming  popular  insur- 
rection, the  President  yielded,  and  a  Ministry  was 
formed  with  Senor  Belisario  Prato  as  Premier, 
which  Congress  accepted  as  satisfactory.  ^  Tem- 
porary supplies  were  voted,  and  matters  re-assumed 
a  more  tranquil  aspect. 

Emboldened  by  this  victory,  the  Chambers  en- 
couraged the  new  Ministry  to  legislate  with  a 
view  to  the  removal  of  all  intendentes,  governors, 
prefects,  and  other  officials  suspected  of  San  Fuentist 

\  leanings.      But  here  the  President  put  his  foot  down 
firmly.      Not  one  single  official  would  he  consent  to 
,,    remove,  except  for  an  indictable  and  duly  proven 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  99 

offence.  Congress,  in  effect,  sought  to  secure  for  ^1 
itself  the  same  influence  in  the  cominsf  Presidential 
elections  which  it  proposed  to  take  out  of  the 
President's  hands,  by  replacing  his  nominees  with 
their  own.  And  having  the  written  constitution 
upon  his  side,  Balmaceda  stubbornly  refused.  He, 
moreover,  pointed  out  that  as  the  Chambers  were 
then  sitting  in  an  extraordinary  session,  convoked 
by  him  for  the  sole  purpose  of  passing  the  Annual 
Supply  Bill  (which  had  been  left  undone  through- 
'wt  tEeordinary  session),  they  had  no  business 
whatever  to  wander  away  from  the  simple  question 
of  dollars.  /And  here,  again,  he  was  technically 
right:^  But  right  or  wrong.  Congress  would  not 
hear  of  money  matters  until  the  matter  regarding 
the  intendentes  and  governors  should  have  been 
settled  satisfactorily.  Balmaceda  was  firm ;  the  "^ 
Prato  Ministry  resigned  ;  and  the  President,  having 
appointed  a  fresh  Ministry  more  to  his  taste,  ab- 
ruptly closed  the  extraordinary  session  to  prevent 
any  more  votes  of  censure  being  passed  (October 
17th,  1890).  — 

Now,  the  Chilian  constitution  provides  for  the 
existence  of  a  body  called  the  Comision  Con- 
servadpra  .(Constitutional  Committee),  consisting 
of  ^^k  members,  chosen  by  either  Chamber, 
and  whose  functions  are  to  see  to  the  due 
observance  of  the  constitution  whilst  Congress 
is  in  recess,  and  to  tender  advice  to  the  Presi- 
dent   upon  such  questions  as  may   arise,    suggest 


lOO 


DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


'/>' 


the    expediency   of  extraordinary  sessions,   and  so 

forth.      This   last  the  Comision   Conservadora  lost 

no    time    in    doing ;    and    the    President  referred 

the  matter  to  his  Cabinet.      Should  he  or  should 

he    not    convoke    another    extraordinary   session  ? 

^  Ministers   did   not  favourably  entertain  the   idea. 

I    Past  experience  had  made  it  clear  that,  A^hatever 

\   might   be   the   avowed   object  of  its    convocation, 

\  the  very  first  act  of  Congress  would  be  to  pass  a 

vote  of  censure  upon  the  existing  Ministry.      And 

it  would  certainly  refuse  to  vote  supplies.      Whilst 

the  qiipsjjnn_w^,y  c-fill   nnrlnr    rligpnc!<^inn^   f.hft  Cnpsti- 

tutional  Committee    got    up   a  special__session_  on^ 
its  "TJWri    account,    which    deputies    and    senators 


were^  invited  to  attend,  as  a  sort  of  rehearsal . 
And  a  very  lively  rehearsal  jt^praved  to  ba  The 
President  and  his^linisters  ^arere  deneuneed:-  as 
fit"^subiects  for   nation^LexporRtioR- — He  was 


self '"TlEened  to  the  most  despotic  ^f_-£QP^^t^ 
emperors,  and  was  Vnij^<=^Ti  fn  ]-f^mpTnbf^r  fhflt  a 
Brutus  could  yetbe  found  for  a  Csesar.  The 
notion  of  votmg  supplies  was  scouted  ;  but  pro- 
posals to  pass  a  special  law  for  the  summary  depo- 
sition of  the  Dictator  were  hailed  with  enthusiasm. 
It  was  clear  that,  unless  ^almaceda  were  prepared 
for  a  wholesale  surrender  of  his  authority,  no 
good^ould  po^sibly-jiQme  of  anoth^^  extraordinary 
session-^-atuLsp  none  was  convoked. 

This  brought  matters  to  a  climax.      The  supplies 
already   voted   would  lapse  upon  December  31st. 


Condition  ^  lot 


How  carry  on  the  Government  until  the  following 
June  ?      Unless    the    President    voted    a    Budofet 
himself  and   could   enforce   its   provisions,  he   was 
clearly  a  beaten  man.      Now,  he  had  hitherto  given  ^s 
way  so  often  that  he  was  considered  to  be  (even  by      1 
his  own  friends)  a  weak-minded  person,  incapable     / 
of   effectively    playing    a    'lone    hand.'       It     had--/ 
become  known  that   Congress   had   many   sympa- 
thizers in   the  army  and  in  the  fleet  prepared,  if 
need  were,  openly  to  espouse  its  cause.      Popular 
feeling  in  Santiago  and  in  Valparaiso  was  strongly 
enlisted  upon  the  same  side.      Nc^ino-  could   well  ^ 
appear    more    hopeless    than    any    attempt    upon 
Balmaceda's  part  to  assert  his  authority  by  force. 
Yet"tTiis  was  what  he  had  aL  last  decided   Lo  do, 


and,  having  so  decide(I7He^gave~proots  ot  an  energy 
andzaZSsoIunon  of  which  no  one  had  deemed  him 
capable. 

Upon  January  1st  he  issued  a  lengthy  and 
elaborate  manifesto  addressed  to  the  nation,  in 
which,  so  far  as  chapter  and  verse  went,  he  made 
out  a  very  strong  case  for  himself  Whether  or 
not^he  constitntinn  was  effeteand  un*Fair  in^ts 
provisions,  ^e  avowedly  decline3  to  discuss. 
Whether  or  not  the  nRWL_theorv  of  Parliamentary 
government  might  advantageously  replace  the 
popular  representative  system  was  also,  he^ffirmed, 
beside  the  question.  \He  stood  by  the  bare  letter 
of  the  existing  cl)de,  which  he  had  sworn  to 
uphold,   and    which     plainly    gave   him   the   very 


1 


I02  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

powers  which  he  was  branded  as  a  tyrant  for 
using.  Truo,  tliV:^  Comision  Canservadora  had^  the 
rig^ht  to  advise  him  to  jummon  an  extraordinary 
session,  and  he  was  morally  bound  to --heed  such 
advice  under  ordinarycircumstances.  But  what 
was  th^  111^^  ^f  ^onYoVingT^hgrnnM  tn  YfrhF-rmpplif^s 
when  fh^^Jjh^mh^  would  av^wf^dl^^  r>n]y  m^ft^t^ 
discuss-other  matters,  to-^abttse,  and  peiiiaps-^^eek 
to  depose  him  ?      It  was  an  open  secret  that  the 


armyand  navy  had  been  tampered  with,  but  he 
was  confident  they  would  remain  loyal  to  the 
established  Government.  In  a  few  months  there 
would  be  fresh  elections,  when  the  people  would 
have  an  opportunity  of  deciding  at  the  polls  upon 
which  side  its  sympathies  really  were.  A  few 
months  later  and  his  term  of  office  would  expire. 
Meanwhile  he  was  resolved  to  do  his  duty  according 
to  his  lights. 

Within  a  week  of  the  publication  of  this 
manifesto  the  fleet  revolted  and  declared  for 
Congress  (January  7  th).  The  civil  war  had  begun. 
Balmaceda  was  now  practically  a  Dictator,  and 
threw  himself  upon  the  army,  which  partly  through 
old-standing  jealousy  of  the  fleet,  partly  through 
hopes  of  increased  pay  and  rapid  promotion,  and 
partly  from  conviction,  stood  to  him  stanchly 
enough.  |  A  state  of  siege  was  proclaimed,  and  a 
general  dispersal  of  revolutionary  members  of 
Congress  followed,  most  of  them  finding  an  asylum 
upon  the  war- ships. 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  103 

Chilian  society  had  for  a  long  time  past  been  in 
a  critical  condition.  What,  for  want  of  a  better 
L  term,  may  be  called  the  aristocracy  had  for  many 
years  been  floundering  in  a  quagmire  of  financial 
difficulties.  People  whose  fathers  had  been 
content  to  lead  the  lives  of  country  squires,  with 
an  occasional  run  up  to  the  capital,  had  gradually 
followed  their  Argentine  neighbours  in  a  newly- 
developed  craze  for  luxury  and  extravagance,  and 
many  of  them  had  landed  themselves  upon  the 
very  brink  of  ruin.  They,  of  course,  all  belonged 
to  the  old  Conservative  Party,  of  which  the  com- 
ponent elements  were  tnown  as  Clericals,  Montt- 
Yaristas,  and  Conservadores,  the"  latter  being  less 
ultra-Conservative  in  their  views  than  the  others. 

Wow,  broken-down  aristocratsXin  Chile  at  all  events, 
invariably  look  for  assistance  to  Government,  which 
has  charge  of  the  loaves  and  fishes.  And  the 
return  of  Balmaceda — the  leader  of  their  hereditary 
foes,  the  Liberals — as  President,  left  them  no  hopes 
whatever  from  this  source.  When  it  became  clear 
that  Balmaceda  would  most  likely  be  succeeded  by 
another  Liberal,  that,  in  fact,  the  Government  would 
probably  remain  in  Liberal  hands  for  an  indefinite 
period,  all  sections  of  Conservatives  had  naturally 
been  in  despair.  Their  sole  hope  clearly  lay  in 
causing  dissensions   in   the  Liberal  ranks,   and   in 

Annihilating  the  President's  influence    throughout 
Chile.       ' 

The  clergy  had  strong  grounds  for  bitter  hatred     T 


I04  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

of  Balmaceda.  Not  only  was  he  strongly  suspected 
of  downright  Freethought  opinions,  but  he  had 
played  sad  havoc  with  the  principal  sources  of 
ecclesiastical  revenues.  The  establishment  of  civil 
marriages  had  especially  smitten  them  very  hard. 
Their  salaries  and  fees  had,  moreover,  been  cut 
down  all  round  with  an  unsparing  hand.  And  as 
\h.Q  jpadres  (in  Chile  as  elsewhere)  held  unlimited 
sway  over  the  minds  of  the  female  population,  a 
Balmacedist  in  petticoats  came  to  be  almost  as  rare 
a  phenomenon  as  was  a  black  swan  in  the  time  of 
Persius.  — 

Naturally  the  tradesmen  and  those  employed  in 
the  thousand  and  one  occupations  called  into 
existence  by  the  necessities  or  caprices  of  the 
spending  classes  sympathized  with  their  aristocratic 
patrons,  and  readily  attributed  diminished  earnings 
to  the  evil  ways  of  the  tyrant.  Hence  the  large 
number  of  Oposidores  to  be  found  in  Santiago  and 
Valparaiso. 

But,  in  addition  to  these  direct  aids  to  the 
revolutionary  movement,  a  majority  of  intelligent 
persons  espoused  the  cause  of  Congress  upon  con- 
viction. It  was  absurd,  they  reasoned,  that  the 
destinies  of  the  country  should  be  swayed  upon  the 
principles  maintained  by  Balmaceda.  Of  what  use 
a  Congress  at  all  if  it  could  be  overridden  at  the 
will  of  a  President?  If  the  constitution  really 
gave  him  the  powers  which  he  claimed,  then  the 
constitution  was  utterly  rotten,  and  even  a  revo- 


\ND  ITS  CONDITION  105 


lution  would  be  a  cheap  price  to  pay  to  secure  its       \ 
abolition.  ^ 

By  the  large  foreign  element  resident  in  Chile,  — ^ 
Balmaceda  was  regarded  with  very  general  aver- 
sion, and  more  especially  by  the  British.  He 
was  known  to  entertain  many  views  by  no  means 
consistent  with  the  uninterrupted  advancement 
of  foreign  interests.  He  had  many  times  hinted  i^ 
that  a  period  must  be  put  to  the  extensive  grants 
of  concessions  which  had  hitherto  been  so  freely 
made  to  European  syndicates.  \  The  wealth  of 
Tarapaca,  he  had  been  heard  to  say,  wealth  pur- 
chased by  Chilian  blood  in  the  war  with  Peru, 
was  flowing  in  a  wide  stream  to  London,  and  in^ 
driblets  to  Santiago.  And  this  idea  had  been 
emphasized  by  Colonel  North's  not  over-successful 
mission  to  Chile  in  1889,  of  which  an  excellent 
account  was  written  by  Dr.  Russell,  who  accom- 
panied him.^ 

Says     Dr.    Russell    in     one     passage  ;     '  Senor^ 

Balmaceda  was  on  his  way  to  Santiago  after  the 

progress  through  the  centres  of  Chilian  life,  and 

of  European  industry  and  enterprise,  in  the  course 

of  which  he  had  delivered  speeches  which  had  been 

regarded  as  the  pronunciamentos  of  a  new  policy  : 

''  Chile   for    the    Chilians."     It   was    known    that 

Colonel  North  had  come  from  Europe  to^solidify 

and  to  extend  interests,  in  respect  to  any  increase 

*  '  A  Visit  to  Chile  and  the  Nitrate  Fields  of  Tarapaca,'  by 
WiUiam  Howard  Kussell,  LL.D.  London,  J.  S.  Virtue  and 
Co.,  1890. 


io6  DARK  DA  KS  IN  CHILE 

of  which  President  Balmaceda's  programme,  as 
reported,  might  be  taken  as  adverse/  And  further 
on  :  '  There  were,  however,  signs  and  tokens  that 
the  early  declarations  of  policy,  respecting  the 
State  properties,  attributed  to  Balmaceda,  were 
considered  by  the  press  to  be  the  guiding  principles 
of  the  Government,  and  that  for  the  future  rail- 
way extension  was  to  be  reserved  for  the  State.' 
And  that  railways  were  not  to  be  the  only  enter- 
prises thus  reserved  is  made  plain  by  the  following 
passages  :  'The  importance  of  nitrate  in  agriculture 
and  commerce,  and  the  gradual  increase  oFlts  ^o- 
duction,'  said  the  President,  *  warn  the  Legislature 
and  the  authorities  not  to  demur  in  solving  this 
problem,  and  to  protect  effectively  the  legitimate 
interests  of  our  countrymen.  It  is  true  that  we 
should  not  exclude  the  free  competition  and  manu- 
facture of  nitrate  in  Tarapaca ;  but  we  cannot 
;  consent  that  this  rich  and  extensive  region  should 
become  simply  a  foreign  factory.  .  .  .'It  was 
inferred,  especially  from  his  (the  President's) 
speech  at  Iquique,  that  he  intended,  if  he  could, 
to  close  the  course  to  any  but  native  competitors, 
to  handicap  those  who  had  been  the  winners,  to 
refuse  industrial  concessions  in  the  country  to  non- 
Chilian  residents,  and  to  reserve  the  State  lands 
still  unappropriated  exclusively  and  inalienably  to 
citizens  of  the  Republic.  Although  there  was  no 
express  intimation  of  any  intention  on  the  part 
of   Government    to    lay    hands    upon,    or,   as   the 


I 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  107 

phrase  in  Chile  goes,  to  "  expropriate  "  the  rail- 
ways, it  was  well  known  that  such  a  project  was 
in  favour  with  some  politicians  at  Santiago,  and 
some  expressions  in  President  Balmaceda's  dis- 
courses were  taken  to  indicate  the  likelihood  of 
future  action  in  that  disagreeable  direction  ;  but 
no  one  supposes  the  President  would  injure  vested 
interests.' 

Dr.  Russell  throughout  employs  the  style  of 
studied  moderation,  as  befitted  the  historian  of 
an  expedition  avowedly  undertaken  to^solidify  and, 
if  possible,  extend  Colonel  North's  extensive  nitrate 
interests  in  Tarapaca.  But  he  is  at  no  pains  to 
disguise  his  conviction  that  these  interests  were 
not  consistent  with  the  continuance  in  office  of 
presidents  of  the  Balmaceda  way  of  thinking.  Nor 
did  Colonel  North's  own  expressions  of  opinion  to 
Englishmen  in  Chile  leave  it  to  be  supposed  that 
he  in  any  way  differed  from  the  views  subsequently 
expressed  by  Dr.  Russell  in  his  book.  Apropos 
of  which  book  it  must  be  stated  that  it  did  not 
produce  a  favourable  impression  upon  the  native 
mind  in  Chile.  The  author  dwells  somewhat  too 
forcibly  upon  the  magnificent  style  in  which  the 
'  Nitrate  King  '  thought  fit  to  travel,  and  a  great 
deal  too  forcibly  upon  the  extent  to  which  he  was 
dunned  by  impecunious  Chilians.  Nor  is  it  quite 
correct  to  say  that  *  the  report  of  his  enormous 
wealth  had  gone  abroad  among  the  people.'  People 
knew  quite  well,  long  before,  all  about  his  enormous 


io8  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

wealth,  and  where  it  came  from.  His  career  in 
Chile,  previous  to  his  phenomenal  rise  to  nitrate 
eminence,  was  an  oft-told  story ;  and  whilst  all 
marvelled  -at  the  wondrous  push  and  luck  of  the 
man  who  had  sprung,  at  a  bound,  from  poverty 
to  boundless  riches  by  simply  knowing  when  the 
ball  was  at  his  foot  and  kicking  it,  it  was  not 
easy  to  forget  that  he  had  made  every  farthing  of 
^  his  vast  '  pile  '  out  of  Chilian  soil.  Hig  magnificent 
return  was,  indeed,  a  speaking  reproof  against  local 
want  of  enterprise,  and,  as  such,  was  by  many 
resented.  Malicious  rumours  were  spread,  which 
to  this  day  are  widely  believed  in.  All  sorts  of 
improbable  stories  were  put  into  the  genial  Colonel's 
mouth.  ^He  could  buy  up  the  whole  lot,  from  the 
President  down,  with  a  cheque.  To  abandon 
Tarapacd,  to  Chilians  would  be  worse  than  leaving 
diamonds  to  barn-fowls ;  and  so  forth.  It  was 
openly  asserted  that  the  magnificent  silver-mounted 
trophy  and  the  stallions,  presented  by  the  generous 
Colonel  to  the  nation,  had  been  originally  intended 
as  gifts  to  the  President,  although  of  this  there 
was  not  the  smallest  evidence.  Even  now  the 
stranger  is  asked  of  what  sort  of  regiment  is 
^  Mister  North '  Colonel  ?  And  a  catchword  refer- 
ence to  the  '  North  Circus '  still  raises  a  laugh. 
The  '  Nitrate  King '  meant  well,  and  carried  out  his 
expedition  right  royally  ;  but  it  was  an  indis- 
cretion. 

Still  more  indiscreet  was  the  oft-heard  boast  of 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION  '^lop 

the  revolutionists  that  they  had  the  whole  nitrate 
interest  at  their  backs,  as  well  as  the  moral  sup- 
port of  the  British  Government,  and  of  the  British 
navy.  It  only  remains  for  them  to  perpetrate  the 
final  indiscretion  of  informing  the  world  who  paid 
for  the  Itatas  cargo,  and  the  repeating-rifles  which 
eventually  won  the  day. 

^And^ whilst  upon  the  subject  of  indiscretion,  Dr. 
Russell  was  not  well  advised  (in  the  light  of  subse- 
quent events)  in  recording  that,  at  Santiago,  ^  one 
gentleman  urged  the  Nitrate  King  to  finance  a 
revolution  in  a  neighbouring  State.' 

It  was  now,  as  it  seemed,  about  time  to  arrive  at 
some  definite  conclusions,  and  a  lengthy  consulta- 
tion with  my  secretary  proved  us  to  be  agreed  upon 
certain  points. 

1.  That  the  charges  so  profusely  made  against 
the  President  personally  were  most  emphatically 
'  not  proven,'  and  that  even  his  enemies  did  not  lay 
that  besetting  sin  of  South  American  rulers,  the 
'  itching  palm,'  to  his  door  ;  that  he  was,  conse- 
quently, by  no  means  to  be  classed  with  Bosas, 
Lopez,  Celman,  and  Co. 

^"^  ThatTie^had,  uppn  the  whole,  a  long  way  the 
best  of  the  argument,  since  he  stood  upon  the  firm 
ground  of  the  written  constitution,  whereas  his 
opponents  sought  to  substitute  a  system  of  Parlia- 
mentary government  not  then  legally  in  existence. 

3.   That  he  had  infringed   the  constitution — at 


y" 


no  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

least  in  spirit — by  refusing  to  call  another  extra- 
ordinary session,  at  the  instance  of  the  Comision 
Conservadora,  but  that  the  violent  attitude  assumed 
by  Congress  almost  justified  such  infringement. 

4.  That  victory  for  the  insurgents  would  in- 
fallibly result  in  subsequent  dissensions,  consisting 
as  they  did  of  half  a  dozen  sections  of  dissatisfied 
Liberals  and  three  sections  of  Conservatives.  'Oil 
and  vinegar  may  be  poured  into  the  same  dish,  but 
they  will  never  mix.  ( 

f  5.  That  the  triumph  of  Balmaceda  would  mean 
the  triumph  of  but  one  single  party,  and  would 
entail  no  such  subsequent  disputes  inter  se. 

6.  That  unless  Providence  for  once  abandoned 
the  side  of  the  big  battalions,  the  President,  with 
the  army  at  his  back,  the  whole  of  Chile  proper 
under  his  sway,  and  several  powerful  warships 
shortly  due  from  Europe,  must  win  in  the  end. 

r^-  7.  That  an  established  Government  has  always 
stronger  prima  facie  grounds  for  the  support  of 
right-thinking  persons  than  even  the.  most  plausible 
of  would-be  reforms,  begotten  by  party  cliques  and 
heralded  by  a  revolution. 

Mainly  for  these  reasons,  and  guided  by  the  con- 
siderations which  have  been  already  stated  in  some 
detail,  I  decided  to  incline  to  the  side  of  the  Presi- 
dent. Subsequent  events  must  decide  my  subse- 
quent policy.  \That,  in  taking  this  line,  for  the 
present,  I  would  be  running  counter  to  the  com- 
monly-accepted beliefs  of  the  press  of  the  world, 


CHILE  AND  ITS  CONDITION 


III 


I 


including  that  of  my  own  journal,  weighed  with  me 
not  one  straw.  I  was  absolutely  the  only  foreign 
special  correspondent  in  Chile,  and  my  orders  were 
to  use  my  own  judgment.  That  judgment,  such  as 
it  was,  I  used  and  followed.  Kl  believed  that  Bal- 
maceda  would  win,  and  that  he  was,  in  the  main,  in 
the  right — more  so,  at  all  events,  than  the  revolu- 
tionists. Time  (and  apparently  at  no  very  distant 
date)  would  decide  whether  I  was  right  or  wrong 
in  the  first  of  these  beliefs  ;  history  would  decide 
whether  I  was  right  or  wrong  in  the  second. 


r 


^ 


CHAPTER  Y. 

THE    TROUBLES    OF    A    SPECIAL    CORRESPONDENT. 

How  to  correspond — Telegraph  Lines  closed — Mails  supervised 
— An  Ultimatum  to  the  Government — Pozo  al  Monte — A 
Eeview  of  Government  Troops — Opinion  in  the  Provinces — 
My  Lost  Child  gets  into  Trouble — Valparaiso — Opinion  there 
— An  Expedition  against  the  Eevolted  Fleet — A  Tempting 
Offer — I  accept — My  Fighting  Secretary  deserts  me — And 
follows  in  the  Footsteps  of  my  Lost  Child — Stick  v.  Bayonet 
— Political  Memoranda — The  Times  and  I — '  Go,  but  wire 
Facts  only '— An  Interview  with  Bear- Admiral  Hotham — I 
refuse  Good  Advice. 

It  was  all  very  well  to  have  arrived  at  some  sort  of 
definite  conclusions,  if  only  temporary  ones  ;  and  it 
seemed  also  fortunate,  for  a  variety  of  obvious 
reasons,  that  these  conclusions  should  have  assumed  a 
shape  favourable  to  the  existing  Government.  But 
it  soon  became  apparent  that  my  channels  of  com- 
munication were  not  clear  :  my  secretary  returned 
with  a  telegram  unsent,  and  with  a  supplementary 
explanatory  letter  unposted.  His  explanation  was 
simple.  The  Transandine  telegraph,  as  already 
stated,  had  been  closed  for  some  time ;  and  although 
the  officials  there  had  allowed  my  first  message 
about  Pozo  al  Monte  to  go  through,  they  had  done 
so  assuming,  it  appeared,  that  I  had  special  per- 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    113 

mission  to  use  the  line.  This,  they  had  ascertained, 
was  not  so  yand  their  latest  orders  were  to  pass  no 
messages  whatever,  even  from  Government  officials, 
without  the  vista  of  the  Minister  for  the  Interior. 
As  regarded  the  letter,  Senor  Guillermo's  inquiries 
had  convinced  him  that  the  mails  also  underwent 
inspection,  and  that  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Times 
would  most  certainly  be  read  previous  to  transmis- 
sion. Upon  personal  inquiry,  I  found  my  secre- 
tary's report  accurate  in  every  particular.  Now, 
communication  with  London  upon  these  terms  was 
clearly  out  of  the  question  ;  and,  in  a  particularly 
savage  frame  of  mind,  I  hastened  off  to  the  Moneda, 
to  interview  the  Minister  for  the  Interior.  I  think 
I  rather  staggered  Senor  Godoy  with  my  vehe- 
mence. In  very  forcible  terms  I  pointed  out  that, 
unless  I  had  perfect  freedom  of  communication,  my 
presence  in  Santiago  would  be  a  mere  farce.  In 
vain  he  essayed  to  convince  me  that,  so  far  as  I  was 
concerned,  the  vista  was  a  pure  matter  of  form.  I 
was  obdurate.  Then  he  offered  to  append  his  vista 
to  any  required  number  of  blank  forms ;  but  I 
would  listen  to  no  compromise.  Absolute  liberty 
both  by  telegraph  and  mail  I  must  have,  or  I  would 
at  once  start — for  Iquique. 

A  very  meaning  smile  passed  over  the  Minister  s 
face,  one  easily  read. 

*  Look  here,  senor,'  I  said,  ^  let  us  understand 
each  other.  With  my  personal  freedom  of  action, 
as  a  British  subject,  no  power  on  earth  dare,  with 

8 


1 14  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

impunity,  interfere  ;  and  this  you  must  know  as 
well  as  I  do.  In  Valparaiso  there  are,  at  present, 
Jhree  British  men-of-war,  and,  if  necessary,  I  know 
that  I  can  easily  obtain  a  passage  to  Tqnique  upon 
one  or  other  of  these.  But,  apart  from  this,  your 
action  is  not  consistent  with  your  speech.  You 
are  the  President's  Prime  Minister.  Both  he  and 
you  proclaim  that  the  one  thing  desirable  is  that 
the  world  should  know  the  truth.  I  have  travelled 
many  thousands  of  miles  to  ascertain  and  report 
where  the  truth  really  is  in  this  revolution.  So 
far,  I  have  formed  certain  opinions.  But  I  refuse 
utterly  to  despatch  those  opinions  subject  to  the 
approval  of  your  Government.' 

'  Vdmos  a  ver  a  sa  Excelencia  /'  replied  Sefior 
Godoy,  leading  me  off  to  the  President's  study. 
Here  the  question  was  argued  out.  I  again 
stated  my  case,  this  time  even  more  strongly. 
I  adhered  to  my  ultimatum  that,  failing  a  total 
repeal  of  existing  telegraphic  and  postal  super- 
vision in  my  favour,  I  would  forthwith  proceed 
to  the  revolutionary  headquarters.  In  the  end  I 
carried  my  point,  and,  in  acknowledging  the  con- 
cession, took  occasion  to  remark  very  pointedly  : 
*  I  rely  upon  your  Excellency's  well-known  judg- 
ment to  insist  that  Government  officials  will 
rigidly  obey  your  instructions  in  this  matter. 
The  exercise  of  any  indiscreet  zeal  on  their  part, 
running  counter  to  these  instructions,  would  in- 
fallibly  place    both    your    Excellency    and    myself 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    115 


I 
I 


in  an  exceedingly  false  position.  And  now,'  I 
continued,  '  that  this  matter  is  settled,  here  is 
a  telegram  that  would  now  be  on  its  way  to 
London  but  for  the  vista  difficulty.      It  concerns 

of    Colonel     Robles    in    the      \ 


thealleged  Anurder 

ambulance  after  the  battle^of  Pozo  al  Monte. '__ 

'Alleged?'  queried  Senor  Balmaceda. '    '  Nothing     -- 
can  be  more  certain.      I  have  here  the  sworn  de- 
positions of  Surgeons  Middleton  and  Alvarez,  who 
were  attending  to  him  and  other  wounded  officers 
when  the  massacre  took  place.' 

These  I  read  through.  They  were  clearly 
genuine. 

'  Had  the  revolutionists  allowed  the  corpse  to 
be  sent  to  Valparaiso,'  pursued  the  President, 
'  we  intended  to  exhibit  it  publicly,  in  order  that 
all  men  might  see  the  countless  bullet -holes, 
bayonet-thrusts,  and  unspeakable  mutilation,  in- 
flicted by  these  rebel  dogs  upon  a  gallant  soldier, 
who  was  dying  of  wounds  incurred  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duty.'/  And  for  the  first  time  I  \ 
saw  tears  in  the  '  tyrant's  '  eyes.^  / 

*  This  telegram  was  in  due  course  published  in  the  Times 
and  excited  considerable  indignation  throughout  Europe. 
Within  a  few  days  (I  think  upon  March  27th)  it  was  copied 
into  the  ISlew  York  Tribune  with  comments  from  the  pen  of  a 
Mr,  Trumbull,  an  emissary  of  the  revolutionary  party.  This 
gentleman  did  notTiesitate  to  stigmatize  my  message  as  another 
fabrication  of  the  Times  correspondent,  denying  even  Eobles' 
death  and  quoting  in  confirmation  thereof  a  telegram  from 
Senor  George  Montt.  If  Senor  Montt  really  sent  any  sucja 
telegram,  he  must  have  done  so  long  after  he  had  himself 
ordered  the  removal  of  Colonel  Kobles'  mutilated  body  from  a 


WfA/^ 


ii6  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

/ 

/  I    may  add    that   thereafter   I   never  had   any 

j        difficulty    in    telegraphing,   nor    have    I    had    any 
reason    to    suppose    that    my    correspondence   was 
t^^      tampered  with. 

Having  considerable  curiosity  to  see  how  Chilian 
troops  manoeuvred,  I  accepted  an  invitation  sent 
me  by  General  Gana,  the  Mmisieii^fcLii—W^ar^  to 
witness  a  s15am  HgEtand  review  in  the  park. 
From  an  Aldershot  standard,  the  evolutions  were 
decidedly  rough,  most  of  the  men  being  raw 
recruits.  But  the  skirmishing  in  loose  order 
showed  a  great  amount  of  dash ;  the  mule  bat- 
teries were  rapidly  brought  into  position,  and 
fairly  well  served,  whilst  a  final  cavalry  charge 
was  really  a  magnificent  sight.  IChilians  may  be 
said  to  be  ^  born  in  the  saddle,'  and  are  splendid 
raw  material  for  troopers.  The  horses,  especially 
those  of  the  officers,  were  so  exceptionally  good 
as  to  lend  colour  to  the  common  belief  that  most 
of  them  had  been  requisitioned  from  the  farms 
and  haciendas  of  the  Oposidores.  A  la  guerre 
comme  ct  la  guerre,  as  my  secretary  philosophi- 
cally remarked. 

My  numerous  expeditions  into  various  parts  of 
the  country  nee^3~not  here  be  chronicled  in  detail. 
My  principal  object,  of  course,  was  to  ascertain 
popular  opinion  in  the  rural  districts  ;  and  outside 


steamer  bound  for  Valparaiso  ;  and  after  it  had  been  buried, 
by  his  orders,  in  Iquique  !  This  is  but  one  sample  of  how  the 
Congressionalists  *  worked  the  press.' 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    119 

the  capital  I  could  discover  scarcely  any  sympathy  ,.-^ 
the  Congressionalists.  All  that  the  Chilian  ^^/ 
ro^o  appeared  to  know  or  care  about  was  that 
Balmaceda  had  done  great  things  in  the  way  of 
finding  employment  for  all  upon  public  works,  / 
which  public  works,  ever  since  the  meeting  of  \ 
the  fleet,  had  been  discontinued.  Recruiting  ^ 
"^^parties-  were  very  busyT"  and  the  large  numbers  /| 
of  men  thus  suddenly  thrown  out  of  work  made  | 
their  task  comparatively  easy.  This,  indeed, 
accounts  for  the  extraordinary  rapidity  with 
which  the  Government  was  able  to  raise  an 
army  of  some  40,000  troops.  The  stories  cir- 
culated of  men  forcibly  torn  from  their  home- 
steads to  swell  the  ranks  did  not  appear  to  rest 
upon  any  extensive  basis  of  fact,  though  I  myself 
saw  many  cases  of  enlistment  under  the  influence 
of  drink.  But  then  I  have  seen  the  same  thing 
repeatedly  in  England.  This  much  was  quite 
certain  :  /that  the  men  were  well  fed,  well  clothed, 
and  well  cared  for,  as  was,  indeed,  obviously  the 
best  policy. 

Meanwhile  my  Lost  Child  had  been  upon  my 
hands,  and  a  chronic  source  of  anxiety  to  me.  I 
at  last  insisted  upon  his  returning  to  Buenos  Aires 
without  delay,  sternly  resisting  his  appeal  to  be 
allowed  to  see  Valparaiso  and  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
Very  reluctantly  indeed  he  consented.  So  I  sup- 
plied him  with  the  necessary  funds,  taking  his 
draft   upon   Buenos  Aires   for  his   entire  debt  to 


DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


me,  gave  him  a  letter  to  the  Governor  at  Los 
Andes,  requesting  that  gentleman  to  *  forward 
the  bearer  per  first  caravan  bound  for  Argen- 
tina,' saw  him  safely  into  the  train,  gave  him 
my  benediction,  and  returned  to  my  hotel  with 
one  trouble  off  my  mind.  Alas  !  I  wholly  under- 
rated my  protege's  marvellous  capacity  for  getting 
into  scrapes.  Two  days  later  I  received  a  letter 
from  him,  written,  of  course,  in  French,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  literal  translation.  As  a  najif 
recital,  written  just  after  the  occurrences  described, 
it  is,  I  think,  worthy  of  a  place  here. 

Hotel  rran9ais,  Valparaiso, 

March  21st,  1891. 

'  My  dear  Mr.  Hervey, 

'  When  I  had  bidden  you  farewell  in  the 
train  at  Santiago,  I  noticed  in  my  compartment 
two  young  Chilians  very  well  dressed,  and  they 
very  soon  entered  into  conversation  with  me, 
speaking  French  just  well  enough  to  make  them- 
selves understood.  They  made  themselves  ex- 
tremely agreeable,  gave  me  a  glowing  description 
of  Valparaiso,  where  they  purposed  spending  the 
night,  with  the  intention  of  returning  next  day  to 
Los  Andes,  and  assured  me  that  at  this  latter 
town  many  mules  were  awaiting  them.  Learning 
that  I  proposed  to  proceed  direct  to  Los  Andes 
from  Llai-Llai  Junction,  they  strongly  urged  me 
to  accompany  them  first  to  Valparaiso,  pointing  out 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    121 

that   it  would  be   foolish   to    leave   Chile  without 
having  seen  its  principal   port.      Finally  I  agreed 
,  to  go  with  them.      Arrived  at  Valparaiso  yester- 
day at   5  p.m.,  we  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Fran^ais  ; 
then   whilst   I   went   out   to  have   a  look   at   the 
harbour  with   the  younger   of   the   two   brothers, 
the  elder  went  to   draw  some   money  due   to  him 
and  to  transact  other  business — at  least,  he  said  so. 
(By  the  way,  he  appeared  to  be  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  and  his  brother  about  seventeen.)     I 
returned    to    the    hotel   at    7    o'clock,    when    we 
found  the  elder  awaiting  us.      We  dined  together 
and  decided  to  go  to  the  theatre.      Then  I  suddenly 
discovered  that  I  no  longer  had  my  pocket-book  1 
I   hunted  for   it   everywhere,  and  my  companions 
helped   to   look   for   it,  but   all   in  vain.      All  my 
money,  all  my  papers,  were   in  that   pocket-book. 
My  friends    sympathized  with    me    loudly  in   my 
loss,  and   advised   me  at   once  to  go  to  a  police- 
station  ;  and,  deeming  this  excellent  advice,  I  took 
it,  and  they  accompanied  me  to  interpret  for  me. 
The  elder  of  the  brothers  went  straight  up  to  the 
official  in  charge  and  gave  him  what  I  supposed  to 
be  a  full  account  of  my  misfortune  in  quick,  earnest 
tones.      Then  the  official  called  me  up  to  a  bureau 
and  asked  me,  to  my  intense  surprise,  why  I  had 
come  to    the    police-station.       I    understood   this, 
because    it     sounded    very    like     French.       I    en- 
deavoured to  explain  as  well  as  I  could  ;   but  he 
did  not   know  a  word   either  of  French,  English, 


DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


or  German.  He  then  said  something  which  my 
friends  interpreted  to  mean  that  I  had  better  await 
the  arrival  of  the  chief  of  poHce,  a  colonel ;  and  he 
then  left  the  office,  accompanied  by  them.  I 
waited.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned — 
alone.  Sternly  he  ordered  me,  with  explanatory 
gestures,  to  place  my  revolver  upon  the  desk.  (I 
wondered  to  myself  how  he  could  possibly  know 
that  I  had  a  revolver,  since  it  was  in  the  hip- 
pocket  of  my  trousers  and  quite  invisible.)  How- 
ever, I  placed  it  on  the  desk,  and  drawing  my  long 
knife  from  my  boot,  I  placed  it  beside  the  revolver 
in  order  to  prove  to  this  official  that  I  had  no  evil 
intentions  towards  him.  But  no  sooner  had  I  done 
so  than  he  summoned  a  soldier,  who  searched  me 
rigorously  and  emptied  out  my  pockets.  What 
could  it  all  mean  ?  I  made  up  my  mind  to  keep 
cool,  knowing  that  I  was  in  the  right,  even  if  they 
proceeded  to  kill  me.  So  I  made  no  resistance. 
But  I  did  not  fail  to  tell  them,  in  such  few  words 
of  Spanish  as  I  could  muster,  that  I  knew  Mr. 
Hervey  very  well,  and  that  he  would  be  extremely 
angry  upon  learning  how  I  was  being  treated. 
They  either  did  not  understand  what  I  said  or  did 
not  realize  what  an  important  personage  you  are  ; 
for  all  that  they  did  was  to  turn  me  out  into  a 
sort  of  yard,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  chief 
of  police.  At  eleven  o'clock  a  major  arrived,  and 
I  w^as  brought  before  him.  He  merely  repeated 
the  order  that  I   must  await  the  coming   of  the 


I 


\T ROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    123 

chief,  which  would  probably  be  next  morning.  So 
I  was  led  off  to  a  cell,  containing  a  wooden  trestle, 
for  the  night.  But  as  I  made  no  sign  of  resist- 
ance, the  door  was  not  closed  on  me.  Several 
sentinels  were  pacing  up  and  down  with  fixed 
bayonets,  so  that  I  had  no  chance  of  making  a 
bolt,  which  I  felt  very  much  inclined  to  do.  At 
midnight  the  Colonel  unexpectedly  turned  up,  or 
had  been  sent  for,  and  I  was  once  more  brought 
up  for  examination.  He  received  me  with  an 
appearance  of  great  harshness,  and  in  very  bad 
French  told  me  that  I  knew  Spanish  well,  and  had 
better  speak  out  at  once,  that  I  was  merely  trying 
to  deceive  him,  and  that  unless  I  forthwith  replied 
in  Spanish,  corporal  punishment  would  be  resorted 
to.  I  answered  that  he  might  do  with  me  what 
he  pleased,  since  I  was  in  his  hands  ;  but  that  if 
he  would  permit  me  to  telegraph  to  you,  you  would 
at  once  procure  my  liberation.  This  appeared  to 
strike  him,  and  I  suppose  he  really  did  telegraph 
to  Santiago.  At  all  events,  very  shortly  after- 
wards he  again  sent  for  me,  told  me  that  he  was 
satisfied  of  my  innocence,  and  allowed  me  to  write 
a  telegram  to  you,  which  I  at  once  did.  Still,  it 
seemed  that  I  was  not  yet  free  to  depart,  for  I 
was  invited  to  finish  the  night  upon  a  sofa  in  a 
sort  of  officers'  common  room  ;  and  this  I  did.  At 
10  a.m.  the  landlord  of  the  Hotel  Fran9ais  made 
his  appearance.  He  told  me  that  it  w^as  clear  my 
newly-found  friends  had  robbed  me,  and  that  they 


124  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

had  cleared  oiF,  leaving  a  portmanteau  at  the  hotel. 
Explanations  followed  with  the  police  officials.  It 
now  appeared  that  the  elder  of  the  brothers  had 
confidentially  told  the  official  in  charge  that  I  was 
a  most  dangerous  emissary  of  the  revolutionary 
party,  masquerading  as  a  French  traveller,  that  I 
was  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  probably  carried  im- 
portant documents  upon  my  person,  and  that  I 
would  inevitably  pretend  complete  ignorance  of  the 
Spanish  language.  This  diabohcal  plot  had  suc- 
ceeded but  too  well  ;  the  police  themselves  now 
admitted  that  they  had  been  deceived  by  a  plausible 
scoundrel.  The  colonel  now  asked  me  what  I 
purposed  doing.  "  Telegraph  to  Mr.  Hervey,"  was 
my  reply.  He  then  said  that  there  was  a  difficulty 
about  sending  my  telegram,  and  that  I  had  better 
write,  adding  that  I  was  now  free  to  go  when  I 
pleased.  So  I  accompanied  the  hotel-keeper  back 
to  this  hotel,  from  which  I  now  send  you  this 
letter.  I  eagerly  await  your  reply.  What  am  I 
to  do  ? 

*  Yours, 

'  KOBERT.' 

I  read  this  chronicle  of  disasters  over,  could  not 
help  enjoying  a  hearty  laugh  at  poor  Robert's 
woeful  experiences,  and  telegraphed  him  funds  to 
return  to  Santiago.  When  he  arrived  I  scolded 
him  roundly,  got  a  telegram  through  for  him  to 
his  Buenos  Aires  agent,  who  promptly  telegraphed 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    125 

funds,  and  finally  shipped  him  off  to  Bordeaux, 
from  Valparaiso.  I  met  him  again 
recently,  and  how  delighted  the  lad  was  to  see 
me  !  He  is  quite  a  young  lion  amongst  his  friends, 
who  never  weary  of  listening  to  his  South  American 
experiences ;  but  he  has  embellished  his  police- 
station  adventure  past  all  recognition. 

My  first  visit  to  Valparaiso  was,  by  mere  acci- 
dent, made  in  distinguished  company.  I  had 
arranged  to  travel  by  the  early  morning  express, 
but  upon  reaching  the  station  found  that  the  train 
had  just  started.  This  was  awkward.  I  detest 
slow  trains,  and  there  would  be  no  other  express 
till  evening.  However,  there  was  nothing  for  it 
but  to  leave  our  luggage  in  the  cloak-room  and 
kill  another  day  in  Santiago.  But  just  as  this 
course  had  been  decided  upon,  the  station-master 
accosted  me  very  politely,  and  informed  me  that  a 
special  train  would  almost  immediately  leave  for 
Valparaiso  with  a  Ministerial  party,  and  that  he 
was  sure  a  coupe  would  be  entirely  at  my  service. 
At  that  very  moment  a  gentleman,  /whom  I  at 
once  recognised  as  Senor  Julio  Banados  Espinosa, 
Secretary-General  for  War,  accompanied  by  a  fairly 
numerous  party,  civilian  and  military,  arrived.  No 
further  choice  was  left.  Senor  Espinosa  insisted 
so  strongly  upon  our  accompanying  him  that,  with- 
out appearing  very  ungracious,  refusal  was  impos- 
sible. If  it  were  not  good  policy  for  a  special 
correspondent  to  be  seen  travelling  in   Ministerial 


/ 


126  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

company,  and  so,  in  the  public  eye,  tacitly  approv- 
ing the  Government  action,  upon  the  other  hand, 
it  would  be  still  worse  policy  to  identify  myself 
with  the  revolutionary  party  by  declining  a  mere 
act  of  courtesy.  V  To  maintain,  always  and  every- 
where, an  appearance  of  strict  neutrality  is  im- 
possible. 

Valparaiso  is  about  120  miles,  English,  from 
Santiago  by  rail,  and  more  than  half  this  distance 
is  taken  up  by  a  necessarily  tortuous  track  over 
an  intervening  chain  of  the  Andes.  Had  not  our 
previous  journey  across  the  Cordillera  somewhat 
spoilt  us  for  mountain  scenery,  we  could  have 
admitted  that  the  views  we  now  beheld  were  worth 
travelling  far  to  see.  Behind,  in  the  far-away 
distance,  towered  the  giant  Aconcagua,  like  some 
Saul  overtopping  his  big  brethren.  Over  water- 
courses innumerable,  tributary  to  the  Aconcagua 
River  ;  through  deep  cuttings,  with  here  and  there 
a  tunnel ;  now  speeding  along  a  comparatively  level 
stretch,  but  generally  toiling  up  steep  curves  :  at 
length  the  highest  point  is  reached,  and  deep  below 
lies  one  of  the  fairest  landscapes  on  earth — the 
valley  of  Llai-Llai.  And  then  a  descent,  steeper 
than  had  been  the  ascent,  and,  if  anything,  even 
more  tortuous,  until  the  township  of  Llai-Llai 
itself  is  reached,  and  a  halt  made  for  breakfast. 
Your  true  Chilian  is  fond  (perhaps  rather  too  fond) 
of  good  living ;  and  upon  this  occasion  the  repast, 
having  been  ordered  by  telegram,  left  nothing  to 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    127 

be  desired.      Nor  had  we,  in  other  respects,  aught 
to  wish  for. 

Senor  Espinosa  and  his  companions  were  excel- 
ent  cicerones.  He  himself,  in  especial,  was  un- 
wearied in  his  efforts  that  nothing  should  escape 
notice.  He  stopped  the  train  to  permit  us  to 
descend  and  examine  a  fine  single -span  bridge 
across  a  yawning  chasm  of  great  width,  and  would 
have  stopped  oftener,  but  for  the  guard's  remon- 
strances. I  think  I  have  never  met  a  man  in 
whom  enthusiastic  love  of,  and  admiration  for,  all 
things  pertaining  to  his  native  land  was  so  strong. 
He  could  not  restrain  himself  He  challenged  my 
admiration,  at  every  instant,  upon  every  conceivable 
point.  Two  adjectives  were  ever  on  the  tip  of  his 
tongue  :  rico  and  precioso ;  and  scarcely  a  rock 
escaped  their  application.  Once,  indeed,  he  *  put 
his  foot  in  it.'  He  observed  me  staring  very 
attentively  at  some  cattle  in  a  field — i-the  most 
over-horned,  ill  -  shapen,  underbred  brutes  which, 
methought,  I  had  ever  seen. 

*  Are  they  not  ricos  f  he  inquired  eagerly. 

'  PreciosoSj  senor,'  I  assented  politely. 

'  Ah  !'  he  exclaimed,  '  we  Chilians  spare  neither 
trouble  nor  expense  in  cattle-breeding.  Those,  for 
instance,  are  all  de  pura  raza  Inglesa  /' 
V  If  instant  death  had  been  the  penalty,  I  could 
not  have  restrained  the  roar  of  laughter  with  which 
I  greeted  this  astounding  assertion.  \  Those  over- 
grown goats  pure-hred  English  cattle !     And  this 


128  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

to  a  man  who  has  some  pretensions  to  be  a  judge 
of  stock  :  cetait  un  pen  trop  !  \  The  blank  look 
upon  Senor  Espinosa's  face  warned  me  that  my 
hilarity  was  rather  ill-timed,  if  not  downright  rude  / 
so  I  endeavoured  to  save  the  situation  by  profess- 
ing to  believe  he  had  been  trying  to  ^  take  a  rise  * 
out  of  me.  But  I  fear  the  zealous  Secretary- 
General  never  fully  saw  where  the  alleged  joke 
came  in. 

^  There  is  not  much  in  Valparaiso  to  excite  in- 
terest, nor  is  the  surrounding  country  in  any  way 
suggestive  of  a  valley  of  paradise.  But  doubtless 
the  vegetation  upon  the  shores  of  the  bay,  with 
the  distant  background  of  hills,  struck  the  early 
discoverers  as  a  ravishing  sight  by  comparison  with 
the  arid  northern  coast ;  and  hence  the  name.  I 
was  struck  by  the  greater  commercial  activity  here 
than  in  Santiago ;  and  although  I  had  been  as- 
sured that  the  harbour  was  almost  deserted,  it 
appeared  to  be  very  fairly  well  filled. 

I  was  much  interested  to  ascertain  what  resist- 
ance the  town  might  be  expected  to  make  in  the 
event  of  attack  by  the  revolted  fleet,  and  with  this 
object  accompanied  Senor  Banados  Espinosa  in 
-  several  of  his  tours  of  inspection.  After  going 
over  upwards  of  a  dozen  forts  and  batteries,  many 
of  them  provided  with  Krupp,  Armstrong,  Hotch- 
kiss,  and  other  modern  guns  of  heavy  calibre,  and 
noting  that  the  gunners  made,  as  a  rule,  excellent 
practice,    it    soon    became    clear    that    Valparaiso 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    129 

stood  in  little  danger  of  bombardment.  The  ~^ 
revolutionists,  indeed,  loudly  asserted  that  the 
fleet  refrained  from  attack  solely  for  fear  of 
destroying  the  town  ;  but  this  was  merely  *  making 
a  virtue  of  necessity/  The  opinions  of  all  naval 
men,  British  and  others  (of  whom  I  spoke  with  a 
large  number),  were  unanimous  in  declaring  that 
for  the  rebel  ships  (buf~three  of  which  were  ironi- 
cladsT'andthey  oi  old  pattern)  to  venture  within 
range  of  the  shore  batteries  would  be  courting 
destruction.  - — 

Public  opinion  did  not  appear  to  be  so  hostile 
here  to  the  Government  as  at  Santiago.  The 
general  belief  seemed  to  be  that  the  revolutionists, 
in  fencing  themselves  in  at  Iquique,  were  playing 
a  dangerous,  as  well  as  a  timid,  game  ;  since  if  the 
Government  could  succeed  in  getting  out  even  one 
powerful  man-of-war  from  Europe,  the  slow-moving 
vessels  of  the  fleet  would  lie  at  her  mercy,  and 
Iquique  must  fall.  /Moreover,  every  day  saw  fresh 
accessions  to  Balmaceda's  army,  until  it  seemed 
that  he  would  soon  be  at  the  head  of  a  force 
invincible  from  sheer  weight  of  numbers.  These 
impatient  partisans  of  Congress  did  not  sufficiently 
realize  the  utter  hopelessness  of  pitting  half-armed, 
poorly-drilled  Tarapacd  miners  against  regular 
troops  superior  to  them  in  number.  Nor  were 
tliey  aware,  as  evidently  the  revolutionary  leaders 
were,  that  every  possible  impediment  would  be 
thrown  in  the  way  of  the  expected  warships  leaving 


k 


I30  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

■^-     France.      Indeed,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  the 
insurgent    leaders    throughout   played    their  cards 
V-^  with  considerable  judgment,  aided  thereto   by  the 
practical     sympathy    shown    to    them    by    foreign 
^  nations.      By  no  power  were  they   recognised   as 
l^elligerents  ;   throughout  the  struggle  they  were, 
outwardly  at  least,  regarded  in  Europe  as  rebels. 
\  But  their  agents  and  emissaries  abroad  were  active, 
\  and  not  only  got  a  firm  hold  of  the  foreign  press, 
/  but  had    even   the    energy   to    publish    a   Chilian 
L  revolutionary  paper    in    Paris.      Foreign   Govern- 
ments    shaped    their    policy    in    accordance    with 
foreign  public  opinion   thus   instructed   as   to  the 
merits  of  the  quarrel,  and  gave  the  rebels   every 
assistance   they    possibly  could    short    of   actually 
despatching  their  fleets  to  their  aid. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  am  now  writing,  the 
end  of  March,  Great  Britain  was  the  only  Power 
adequately  represented  by  warships,  the  Warspite, 
Champion  and  Daphne  being  all  at  Valparaiso 
upon  the  occasion  of  my  first  visit.  \A  little  later 
on  the  arrival  of  the  Baltimore,  shortly  afterwards 
followed  by  the  San  Francisco,  gave  due  might 
to  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  only  other  foreign 
cruiser  in  Chilian  waters  was  the  French  corvette 
Volta.  Consequently,  Rear- Admiral  Hotham  had 
had  a  very  considerable  amount  of  responsibility 
thrown  upon  his  hands  in  looking  after  British 
and  German  (by  the  way,  ivhy  German  ?)  interests 
along  the  whole  coast-line.      Matters  had  recently 


C 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    131 

become  additionally  complicated  owing  to  a  decree 
of  President    Balmaceda's    Government,    whereby 

■  all  ports  then  in  the  hands  of  the  insurgents  (i.e., 
from  Pisagua  to  Caldera)  were  declared  to  be  in  _j| 
a  state~of Hblockade.  ^t  was  furthermore  enacted  ' 
that  any  sums  paid  to  the  revolutionary  authorities, 
in  the  way  of  duties  upon  exported  nitrate  of  soda 
or  other  produce,  would  be  re-exacted  by  Govern- 
ment upon  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.    Against  .^ . 

this  decree  the  British  Resident  Minister,  Mr.  | 
Kennedy,  vehemently  protested,  pointing  out  that 
the  mere  declaration  of  a  blockade,  whilst  the 
revolutionists  were  in  undisputed  command  of  the 
sea,  was  quite  invalid  according  to  all  international 
law,  and  that  failing  an  *  effectual  blockade,'  as 
understood  by  civilized  nations,  any  attempt  to 
interfere  with  British  shipping,  or  to  re-exact 
nitrate-duties  already  paid,  would  be  regarded  as 
an  overt  act  of  hostility  to  Great  Britain.  This 
protest,  backed  up  by  the  presence  of  the  British 
squadron,  placed  the  President  in  the  position  of 
having  to  make  the  proposed  blockade  '  effectual,' 
or  cancel  his  decree.  It  was  decided  to  try  the 
former  alternative,  and  for  two  very  patent  reasons : 
the  nitrate  districts  were  absolutely  dependent  (being 
situated  in,  perhaps,  the  most  sterile  region  in  the 
world)  upon  shipping  for  food,  and  even  for  water  ; 
the  nitrate-duties,  worth  sometwo  million~dollars 
a  month,  supplied  the  '  sinews  of  war '  to  the 
revolutionists,    at    the    expense    of    the    Santiago 


k 


132  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

authorities.  Great  efforts  were  consequently  being 
made  to  send  a  Government  squadron  northwards 
so  as  to  give  some  sort  of  colouring  to  the  alleged 
'  blockade.' 

Now,  the  two  torpedo-catchers,  Lynch  and  Con- 
dell,  which  I  had  seen  at  Buenos  Aires,  had  saMy 
arrived  at  Valparaiso,  albeit  in  a  sorry  condition. 
Both  had  broken  down  in  the  Straits  of  Magellan 
(for  lack  of  competent  engineers),  and  had  they 
encountered  one  of  the  rebel  warships,  would  in- 
fallibly have  been  captured  or  sunk.  However, 
no  such  mischance  had  befallen,  and  the  best 
engineering  skill  procurable  in  Valparaiso  was 
engaged  in  patching  them  up.  The  President 
had,  moreover,  some  time  previously,  managed  to 
charter  a  fast  mail-steamer  of  3,300  tons,  called 
the  Imperial,  and  which  had  already  done  good 
service  in  reinforcing  and  provisioning  the  Govern- 
ment northern  garrisons  previous  to  their  final 
overthrow  at  Pozo  al  Monte.  This  vessel  it  had 
now  been  decided  to  fit  out  as^a  cruiser,  armed  as 
heavily  as  possible,  and  carrying  a  contingent  of 
troops  in  the  event  of  a  favourable  opportunity 
presenting  itself  for  disembarking  at  one  or  other 
of  the  nitrate  ports.  Furthermore,  she  was  destined 
to  act  as  tender  to  the  Lynch  and  Condell,  and  to 
assist  them  in  their  blockade  operations. 

This  did  not  seem  a  very  powerful  *  squadron'  to 
despatch  against  a  fleet  consisting  of  three  powerfid 
ironclads,  a  fast,  well-armed  composite  cruiser,  seven 


V 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    135 


■:4^ 


fcqi^_eigjj^_wooden_warsh  the    same 

number    of  armed    transports.       But    in     several 
important    respects    the   advantage    lay    with    the 
three  Government  vessels.     In  the  first  place,  the 
slowest  of  the  three,  the  Imperial,  having  a  speed 
up   to   fifteen   knots,   could,  if  necessary,    show  a 
clean  pair  of  heels  to  anything  in  the  rebel  fleet, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Esmeralda,  the  afore 
said  cruiser  ;  whilst  the  torpedo-catchers  could  do     | 
from    eighteen    to    nineteen   knots    when  in   good     j 
trim.  \  Secondly,  each  of  these  latter  carried  five  """k 
Whitehead  torpedo-tubes,  in  addition  to  Hotchkiss,       / 
rapid-firing,   and   Gatling   guns  ;  being  fitted  with      / 
double   screws,  they   could   manoeuvre   with  great     / 
quickness,  and  both  had  powerful  electric  search-    / 
lights.       In    resolute,    daring    hands,    what   havoc  ^ 
might   they   not   inflict  if  they  got  amongst    the 
enemy's  ships  during  a  dark  night !     At  all  events,  ^ 
it    was    borne    in    upon    my    mind    that    a    novel 
experiment    in     naval    warfare    w^as    about    to    be 
essayed,  and  that  this  would  be  an  expedition  well 
worth  accompanying,  should  opportunity  arise. 

The  opportunity  did  arise.  A  chance  intro- 
duction to  Captain  Garin,  of  the  Imperial,  led  to  a 
visit  to  his  ship,  and  there  I  met  the  commanders 
of  the  torpedo  -  catchers,  Senores  Moraga  and 
Fuentes.  The  conversation  naturally  turned  upon 
the  prospects  of  the  expedition,  and  I  soon  saw 
that  all  three  meant  very  serious  business.  Not 
the   smallest  shadow   of  doubt  entered   into  their 


136  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

calculations.  It  was  clear  that  in  one  or  other  of 
the  northern  ports  rebel  ships  would  be  found,  and 
at  night.  What  was  to  hinder  the  low -lying, 
leaden  -  hued  torpederas  from  sneaking  in  and 
sinking  them  ?  If  by  day  they  sighted  an  iron- 
clad, or  more  than  one  of  the  wooden  corvettes, 
they  could  easily  keep  out  of  range.  The  only 
real  danger  was  to  the  Imperial^  should  she 
encounter  the  Esmeralda,  which,  when  clean,  was 
a  somewhat  faster  vessel. 

'  But,'  I  urged,  *  suppose  that  you  attack,  say, 
an  ironclad  in  harbour,  and  that  she  happens  to 
get  her  search-light  to  bear  upon  you  ?  Or  what 
if  she  has  her  torpedo-netting  in  position  V 

*  BuenOy  senor,  replied  Captain  Moraga,  '  if  she 
discovers  one  of  us  at  several  thousand  yards' 
distance  and  is  quick  with  her  heavy  guns,  it 
would,  perhaps,  be  unpleasant.  But  even  if  she 
was  lucky  enough  to  hit  and  sink,  say,  the  Condell 
coming  up  upon  her  starboard  side,  she  would  still 
have  to  reckon  with  the  Lynch  racing  up  upon  her 
port  side.  If  she  sunk  both,  why  then,  of  course, 
the  performance  would  be  concluded.  But  God 
help  her  if  either  of  us  gets  within  five  hundred 
yards  of  her  !  As  for  the  nets,  they  are  safely 
stowed  away  here  in  the  Valparaiso  arsenal.  They 
were  forgotten  in  the  hurry  of  departure.' 

I    subsequently   went    over    the    torpedo-boats. 

!        They   are   sister  ships   of  700  tons,   and  may  be 

briefly    described    as    mere    boxes    of    machinery, 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    137 

■  ordnance,  and  torpedo  apparatus,  the  very  latest  '^^ 
masterpieces  of  the  well  -  known  firm  of  Laird  / 
Brothers  (who,  by  the  way,  also  built  the 
Imperial).  They  were  constructed  to  the  order 
of  the  Chilian  Government  before  the  revolution 
had  broken  out,  and  were  sent  out  in  charge  of 
specially  selected  engineers,  who  alone  understood 
the  complicated  network  of  engines,  tubes,  etc., 
with  which  the  vessels  were  fitted.  The  majority 
of  these  engineers  quitted  at  Buenos  Aires  rather 
than  face  the  perils  of  actual  warfare.  Their  places 
were  taken  by  utterly  incompetent  men,  in  whose 
hands  the  boats,  as  before  stated,  broke  down  in 
the  Straits,  and  were  with  difficulty  brought  round 
to  Valparaiso.  Here  some  English  engineers,  who 
appeared  to  know  something  about  their  business, 
were  secured  at  exorbitant  salaries,  and  repairs 
were  being  effected  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The 
torpedoes  excited  my  especial  interest.  They  were 
the  medium-sized  Whiteheads,  about  eight  feet 
long,    with    a    mean    diameter    of    some    fourteen 

'  inches,  charged  to  a  power  capable  of  shattering 
the  thickest  armour-plating,  and  driven  by  com- 
pressed air  from  the  tube  which  encased  them. 

*Here,'  said  Captain  Fuentes,  fondly  patting 
one  of  the  deadly  tubes,  *is  a  solution  of  the  revolu- 
tionary problem,  if  it  be  but  properly  applied.  Ah, 
canallaf  (suddenly  springing  upon  one  of  the  crew 
and  cuffing  him  vigorously),  '  is  that  the  way  your 
grandmother  taught  you  to  handle  a  coil  of  rope  ? 


138  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

....  You  have  no  idea,  senor,  what  trouble  we 
have  with  our  crews.  The  lubbers  are  very  hard 
to  get,  still  harder  to  teach,  and  hardest  of  all  to 
keep  from  deserting  !' 

Judging  from  the  method  of  instruction  appa- 
rently in  vogue,  this  did  not  strike  me  as  very 
extraordinary. 

No  allusion  was  then  made  to  my  accompanying 
the  expedition,  but  I  suppose  my  manner  must 
have  suggested  the  idea,  for  next  day  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  Naval  Secretary  offering  me,  in  the 
name  of  the  Government,  suitable  accommodation 
on  board  the  Imperial ,  should  I  care  to  join  her. 
My  secretary  could,  of  course,  accompany  me. 
y/  Without  the  slightest  hesitation  I  decided  to 
accept,  and  replied  to  that  effect  for  both. 
Shortly  afterwards  Senor  Guillermo  returned  from 
a  *  tour  of  observation.'  His  notes  were  unin- 
teresting ;  in  fact,  he  complained  that,  for  a  revo- 
lution, matters  were  very  slow  and  commonplace. 
/  *  True,  GitHlermo,'  I  assented.  *  It  requires 
some  faith  to  believe  in  the  revolution  at  all.  But 
at  length  we  are  going  to  see  something.  We  are 
going  upon  an  expedition.' 

'  Ah  !  that  will  be  indeed  a  pleasant  change  !' 
exclaimed  Senor  Guillermo.  '  And  in  what  direc- 
tion are  we  going  V 

'  To  the  north,  my  friend,'  I  replied.  *  See, 
here  is  an  official  invitation  for  us  both  to  accom- 
pany the  Government  expedition.' 


I 


i 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    139 

Senor  Guillermo's  countenance  by  no  means 
indicated  unmixed  satisfaction  at  the  prospect. 

*  Surely,  Senor  Corresponsal,  you  do  not  seriously 
propose  to  risk  your  life  in  an  enterprise  so 
desperate  V 

'  My  dear  Guillermo/  I  retorted,  '  there  is 
nothing  desperate  about  the  affair  at  all.  We 
shall  have  a  very  pleasant  cruise — have  an  oppor- 
tunity, perhaps,  of  seeing  a  torpedo  trying  con- 
clusions with  an  ironclad  or  two,  and  pick  up 
something  really  interesting  for  our  note-books.' 

'  Senor,  you  entirely  underrate  the  peril,'  per- 
sisted Guillermo.  '  Everyone  says  the  vessels  will 
never  come  back.' 

'  A  pack  of  croakers  !  Why  shouldn't  they 
come  back  ?     Don't  mind  what  everyone  says.' 

*  But,  sefior,  consider  how  grieved  your  friends 
would  be  if  any  misfortune  occurred  to  you,'  con- 
tinued Guillermo.  '  As  for  myself,  I  have  a  father, 
mother,  and  eleven  brothers  and  sisters ' 

'  Then,'  I  interrupted,  rather  impatiently,  '  one 
would  never  be  missed  out  of  a  tribe  like  that. 
Anyhow,  I  am  going.  Do  you  mean  to  say  you 
won't  accompany  me  ?' 

'  Senor,  that  is  the  conclusion  to  which  I  am 
reluctantly  driven.  If  you  persist  in  this  wild 
idea,  of  course  I  cannot  deter  you.  But  most 
certainly  I  shall  not  go.  I  would  far  rather  re- 
main here  (dull  as  it  is)  until  you  return — if  you 


140  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

ever  do  return  ;'  and  poor  Guillermo  gazed  at  me 
as  at  one  foredoomed  to  destruction. 

But  to  this  proposal  I  would  not  agree,  even 
though  he  pointed  out  to  me  the  importance  of 
leaving  a  representative  ashore  to  telegraph  my 
decease  to  the  Times.  If  he  chose  to  go  with  me, 
well  and  good  ;  if  not,  our  relations  must  terminate. 
Finally,  he  definitely  accepted  the  latter  alterna- 
tive, and  it  was  decided  that  he  should  return 
to  Buenos  Aires.  I  confess  I  felt  somewhat  sore 
at  his  thus  leaving  me,  and  rather  encouraged  his 
immediate  start  for  Argentina.  He  elected  to 
return  overland  ;  and  so,  having  supplied  him 
with  funds  for  the  journey,  I  bade  him  farewell. 

Troubles  never  come  singly.  That  same  day  my 
horse  fell  and  rolled  with  me  down  an  embank- 
ment, with,  however,  fortunately  no  worse  result 
than  a  severe  bruising  ;  and  I  wound  up  the  night 
by  a  fight  with  a  sentry,  which  might  have  had 
far  more  serious  consequences.  The  episode  con- 
vinced me  that  the  ^  state  of  siege  '  was  something 
more  than  a  mere  name  ;  though  it  is  but  fair  to 
add  that  I  was  partly  myself  to  blame,  and  that 
it  was  the  only  occasion  upon  which  I  was  ever 
molested  throughout  my  stay  in  Chile. 

I  had  partaken  of  supper  with  a  friend,  and 
was  returning  to  my  hotel  at  about  midnight.  My 
route  led  past  the  Intendencia  (Governor  s  official 
residence),  and  I  naturally  followed  it.  A  sentry, 
without  his  rifle,  was  on  guard,  acting  apparently 


I 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    141 

as  a  sort  of  military  policeman.  He  quickly  ad- 
vanced to  meet  me,  at  the  same  time  ordering  me 
into  the  street.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  that  this 
might  be  an  official  regulation  to  prevent  persons 
from  approaching  too  closely  to  the  building  at 
night.  So  I  merely  produced  a  safe-conduct  given 
to  me  in  Santiago,  showed  it  to  him,  and  attempted 
to  pass  him. 

'  En  la  calle  f  (Into  the  street !)  he  cried,  still 
more  peremptorily,  and  utterly  ignoring  my  safe- 
conduct. 

'  Al  diabolo  f  I  retorted,  pushing  him  aside. 

With  an  oath  he  drew  his  sword-bayonet,  and, 
placing  its  point  fair  upon  my  chest,  once  more 
ordered  me  into  the  street,  with  a  look  which 
plainly  indicated  a  hardly-suppressed  longing  to 
spit  me.  Quick  as  thought  I  dealt  him  a  vicious 
kick  on  the  shin-bone,  and  at  the  same  time 
brought  down  my  loaded  cane  with  all  my  strength 
upon  his  wrist.  The  bayonet  dropped  from  his 
grasp,  and,  with  a  howl  of  agony,  he  turned  to 
extract  his  knife  with  his  left  hand.  This  move- 
ment cost  him  a  second  blow  (upon  the  side  of  the 
head),  which  effectually  placed  him  hors  de  combat. 
Not  considering  it  proper  to  leave  the  poor  wretch 
uncared  for  and,  perhaps,  seriously  injured,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  door  of  the  Intendencia,  and 
knocked  up  the  guard.  To  the  officer  in  charge 
I  explained  the  case,  at  the  same  time  presenting 
my  card.      He  was  most  courteous,  explained  that 


h 


142  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

the  man  really  had  orders  to  prevent  passers-by 
from  passing  close  to  the  Intendencia,  but  certainly 
not  to  do  so  in  an  insulting  manner. 

*  However,  senor/  he  added,  a  little  grimly,  ^  he 
shall  certainly  be  punished  ybr  neglect  of  duty.' 

'  Neglect  of  duty  T  I  exclaimed  ;  '  say  rather  for 
excess  of  zeal  in  performing  his  duty.' 

'  No,  senor,  for  that  no  punishment  exists.  But 
he  shall  be  punished  for  permitting  you  to  pass  !' 

I  wondered  inwardly  what  promotion  would 
have  awaited  my  late  enemy  had  he  been -quicker 
with  his  bayonet  than  I  with  my  stick.  I  waited 
to  see  him  brought  in.  Neither  wrist  nor  head 
was  broken,  I  was  glad  to  find,  and  a  couple  of 
dollars  was  salve  even  to  his  still  half-dazed  intelli- 
gence ;  moreover,  the  officer  in  charge  promised  to 
overlook  the  offence  of  *  allowing  me  to  pass,'  and 
privately  cautioned  me  to  avoid  such  altercations 
as  being  very  dangerous. 

*  That  fellow,  for  instance,'  he  added,  '  is  one  of 
our  worst  savages,  and  would  think  no  more  of 
bayoneting  you  than  I  would  of  carving  a  fowl.' 

And  remembering  the  fierce  gleam  of  the  black 
eyes,  I  was  very  much  of  the  same  opinion  ;  more- 
over, whenever  I  afterwards  had  occasion  to  pass 
the  Intendencia  late  at  night,  I  took  the  footpath 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 

My  acceptance  of  the  invitation  to  accompany 
the  expedition  soon  became  known,  and  I  suddenly 
found  myself  somewhat  a  notorious  personage.     By 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    143 

the  Oppositionists  I  was  promptly  set  down  as  a 
lunatic,  whom  my  keeper  (probably  my  late  secre- 
tary) had  given  up  in  despair.  As  to  being 
special  correspondent  of  the  Times,  which  every 
one  knew  to  be  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  revolu- 
Jtionary  cause,  that  was  simply  another  craze  of 
my  wandering  intellect,  though  it  doubtless  suited 
Government  purposes  to  palm  me  off  upon  my  own 
valuation.  By  the  supporters  of  Government  I 
was,  upon  the  other  hand,  extolled  as  a  model 
correspondent,  to  whom  dangers  were  as  nothing 
beside  the  off-chance  of  witnessing  stirring  deeds. 
*  Of  course  the  Senor  Corresponsal  does  not  want 
to  miss  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  renegade 
hlindados  torpedoed  !'  they  affirmed.  '  Your  cor- 
responsal will  sink,  or  be  shot  like  the  rest  of  you  !' 
retorted  the  Oposidores.  Opinion  at  last  ran  so 
high  that  I  decided  to  return  to  Santiago  until 
such  time   as   the   expedition   might  be   ready   to 

I  start. 
Before   leaving  Valparaiso   I   received   a   letter 
from    my    departed    secretary,    written    from    Los 
Andes.      By  an  extraordinary  coincidence,  he  also 
had  been  robbed  in  the  train,  and  had  been  com- 

Ipelled  to  borrow  one  hundred  dollars  from  the 
governor  of  that  town,  on  my  account  !  This  was 
remarkable  —  so  much  so  that,  in  forwarding  a 
cheque  in  repayment,  I  registered  a  solemn  vow 
to  give  a  wide  berth  for  the  future  alike  to  fighting 
I  secretaries  and  to  lost  children. 

b 


144  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

In  the  train  I  overheard  two  EngHshmen  dis- 
cussing my  unworthy  self,  they  evidently  not 
knowing  me  by  sight. 

'  Oh/  said  one,  ^  the  fellow  is  Times  corre- 
spondent right  enough,  unless  he  murdered  the 
real  man  and  stole  his  credentials.' 

*  Well,'  urged  the  other,  *  if  he  is,  all  I  can  say 
is  that  he  is  taking  a  very  queer  line,  backing  up 
this  Balmaceda  crowd.  However,  it  doesn't  much 
matter.  His  telegrams  have  raised  such  a  row  in 
London,  that  our  people  are  expecting  to  hear  that 
he  is  recalled  every  day.' 

Some  other  severe  criticisms  upon  my  monstrous 
conduct  were  passed  ;  and  then,  by  one  of  those 
accidents  common  enough  in  a  railway-carriage,  I 
became  involved  in  the  conversation,  which  turned 
upon  home  topics.  We  were  travelling  by  the 
evening  mail-train,  and  at  Llai-Llai  there  is  always 
a  halt  of  twenty  minutes  or  so  for  dinner.  We 
gravitated  together  to  the  same  table,  dined,  and 
then,  somehow,  an  interchange  of  cards  followed. 
The  look  of  mingled  amazement  and  of  hopeless 
apology  which  greeted  the  perusal  of  my  name 
was,  to  me,  a  physiognomical  treat.  Thank  God,n 
I  can  laugh.  Fortunately,  also,  laughter  is  con-fl 
tagious,  and  we  were  soon  laughing  in  chorus, 
But  the  cream  of  the  joke  came  off  at  Santiago, 
where  (having  converted  my  quondam  critics 
en  route)  we  drank  a  farewell  glass  to  '  the  suc- 
cess of  the   Government  squadron.*     I  may  inci- 


m    TR 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    145 

f  dentally  remark   that  these  gentlemen,  like  most^ 
fl   other  Englishmen,  knew  nothing  whatever   abou 
the  merits  of  the  question   at  issue.      They,  lik 
hundreds  of  others,   had    been   Oposidores   simpl 
/    because  it  was  the  fashion  to  be  so. 
'         Santiago    I    found    pretty    much  as  I   had  left 
■  it,  except    that    the    opinion  was   rapidly  gaining 
ground  that,  if  the  forthcoming  naval  expedition 
'  should  prove  a  success,  the  position  of  the  insur- 
gents would  be  a  desperate  one.      Hitherto  many 
people,   possibly  a   majority,  had   supported   them 
f  in    the    full    assurance    of  their    speedy    triumph. 
Now  that  belief  had  become  considerably  modified. 
The  revolted  ships  must,  it  was  argued,  be  afraid 
Sof  these  new  torpedo  vessels,   or   they  would   as- 
suredly have  cut  them  off  in  the  Magellan  Straits. 
What  would  happen  if  these  terrible  boats,  with 
V^  their    marvellous    speed    and    manoeuvring    power, 
,went   upon   a   mission   of   destruction  ?     Was  the 
entire  Chilian. fleet  to  be  destroyed,  and  by  Chilian 
torpederas?  /Then,  too,  the  new  cruisers,  Errazuriz 
smd  Finto,  were  reported  upon  their  way  ; 


Pof  1 


*  Upon  the  all-important  question  concerning  the  despatch '"*^ 

of  these  vessels  from  France,  the  Government  newspapers  lied  \ 

consistently  and  persistently.     Three  months  before  the  final  i\ 
declsion^of^^he  French  Supreme  Court  overrode  the  nitrate-         \ 

inspired  hesitation  of  the  Quai  d'Orsay,   and  consigned  the  I  j 

ships  to  their  legitimate  owners,  the  Chilian  Government,  this  [  I 
inspired  press  followed  their  course  from  port  to  port  with        /( 

unequalled  mendacity.     They  were  coaling  at  Lisbon.     They  Vj 

had  reached  St.  Vincent.     They  had  put  in — anywhere  you  / 1 

like — for  provisions.     They  had  had  ample  time  to  circum-  // 

navigate  the  globe,  but they  were  on  the  way  out  I  y 

10  ^ 


146  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Nothing  of  Balmaceda's  regiments,  which  were  daily 
being  increased.  \  Truly,  matters  looked  very  black 
for  the  insurgents,  and  it  behoved  prudent  citizens 
to  trim  according  to  the  wind.  And  this  the 
clergy,  headed  by  the  Archbishop,  were  also 
beginning  to  do.  \ 

Political    interest   at   this   time   centred   in   the 
approaching    general     elections    of    senators     and 
deputies  for  a  new  Congress,  in  succession  to  the 
last    Congress,    now    in    revolt,    and    whpse    legal 
existence  would  cease   upon   May    3 1 M  At    first 
|jf,the  supporters  of  the  revolutionary  party  avowed 
i?  /  the  intention  of  contesting  these  elections  through- 
V      out  the  country — of  fighting  the  President,  as  it 
,//  _  were,    upon    his    own    ground.      The    Government 
^/        issued    proclamations,    enjoining     strict    neutrality 
and   impartiality  upon   all   intendentes,  governors, 
and  other  officials,  and  affirming  that  every  elector 
should    enjoy    perfect     freedom    in    voting.       But 
this    in    Chile,    as    in    all   other   South  American 
republics,  is  a  mere  formula  :  the  party  in  power 
.V    invariably  brings  all  the  influence  it  can  to  bear, 
\>!'so  as  to  secure  the  return  of  its  own  adherents. 
/yDuring   the   half-century  when  the   Conservatives 
held  office,  the  same   solemn   farce  was   regularly 
1 1     gone  through)' and  it  was  only  owing  to  the  fact 
that   President   Santa   Maria  had  personally  sup- 
ported    Balmaceda    that    the    Liberals    had    been 
able  to  return  their  leader  to  the  Presidency  and 
a  Liberal  majority  to  Congress.      Upon  the  forth- 


r 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    147 

^ — 

coming  occasion  it  was  hoped  by  the  more  sanguine 
Oposidores  that  the  Liberals  would  rather  vote  for 
Conservatives  or  Montt-Yarista  candidates  than  for 
supporters  of  Balmaceda,  and  that  thus  the  new 
Congress  would  be  as  strongly  in  opposition  as  its 
predecessor.  'But  this  the  Liberals  would  not  do. 
Such  of  them  as  believed  in  the  President's  policy 
would  vote  for  his  adherents.  Such  as  did  not 
would  refrain  from  voting  at  all.  Now,  the  Con- 
servatives aiid__MiHitt=Yari&tas  stood  no  chance 
against  even  that  section  of  the  Liberal  Party 
known  as  Balmacedists.  And  when  they  ascer-^^ 
tained  that  they  could  not  rely  upon  the  other 
Liberals,  they,  too,  announced  their  intention  of 
not  voting,  giving,  however,  as  a  reason  their 
conviction  that  the  elections  would  infallibly  be 
governed  and  decided  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
But  why  not  put  this  conviction  to  the  test,  and 
so  prove  its  truth  ?  \Men  refraining  from  voting 
can  surely  not  be  held  to  invalidate  elections 
made  by  those  who  chose  to  exercise  the  suffrage.N 
Such,  however,  were  the  tactics  of  the  Oposi- 
dores ;  and  it  became  sufficiently  evident  that 
the  Government  supporters  would  have  a  '  walk 
over.' 

It  was,  furthermore,  clear  that  whatever  claims 
— based  upon  moral  right  and  *  unwritten  law  ' — 
the  revolted  Congress  might  be  supposed  to  have 
to  be  regarded  as  the  Constitutional  Party,  those 
claims  would  cease  to  exist  upon  June  1,  when  the 


148  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

newly-elected  Congress  would  commence  its  ordi- 
nary session. 

Yet  further  ahead  lay  the  election  of  the  Presi- 
dent destined  to  succeed  Balmaceda.  Now,  this 
election  is  much  more  complicated  than  the  choice 
of  members  for  Congress.  The  voters  in  each 
department  choose  three  times  as  many  electors 
as  the  department  has  deputies,  and  these  electors 
must  be  persons  legally  qualified  to  serve  as 
deputies.  This  is  effected  upon  June  25  in  the 
year  of  an  expiring  Presidency.  The  electors 
thus  chosen  in  all  the  departments  assemble  upon 
July  25,  and  choose  the  future  President,  i  Such 
vast  powers  are,  by  the  Chilian  constitution, 
vested  in  the  chief  of  the  Kepublic,  that  each 
recurring  interval  of  five  years  witnesses  strenuous 
efforts  on  the  part  of  each  political  faction  to  secure 
the  return  of  its  own  representative.  Each  such 
faction  has  been  in  the  habit  of  summoning  a  con- 
vention of  its  supporters,  long  before  the  actual 
voting,  to  organize  measures  for  the  ensuing 
struggle. 

Here,  again,  it  was  open  to  the  numerous  factions 
in  opposition  to  the  existing  Government  to  have 
summoned  conventions  and  to  have  arranged  pro- 
grammes ;  but  did  they  do  so,  it  was  clear  that 
there  would  be,  at  least,  as  many  candidates  in  the 
field  as  there  were  factions,  and  that  the  Balma- 
cedists,  voting  en  hloc,  would  necessarily  win  the 
day.      Consequently,  the  only  convention  actually 


DOX    CLAUUIO   VICUNA. 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    151 


summoned    was    that    brought    together    by    that 
portion  of  the  Liberal  Party  which  had  stood  by 
Balmaceda.      Here,  then,  was  another  prospective 
*  walk  over.'     In  choosing  their  man  the  Balma- 
cedists  had  shown  great  judgment.      Congress  had 
objected  to   Balmaceda's   alleged   favourite,   Senor 
San  Fuentes,  as  an  utterly  unsuitable  person.      It 
would  equally  have  objected  to  anybody  else  known 
to  stand  well  in  the  President's  estimation ;  but  in 
the  case  of  Senor  San  Fuentes  it  had  been  possible  to 
point  out  that  he  had  formerly  been  d^^jtockhroker  ! 
and  as  few  people  in  Chile  had  ever  heard  of  an 
honest  stockbroker,  this  had  proved  a  home-thrust. 
Indeed,    as    we     have    seen,    this    gentleman    had 
publicly  renounced  all  intention  of  standing  for  the 
Presidency  ;  and  he  had,  since  the  revolution  broke 
out,  retired  completely  into  private  life.     The  choice 
had  now  fallen  upon  a  candidate  against  whom  it 
was    well-nigh    impossible    to    urge    any   plausible 
objection,  Don  Claudio  Vicuna — a  member  of  a  very 
old  and  distinguished  family ;  a  man  whose  whole 
fifty-seven  years  of  life  had  been  passed,  sans  peur 
et  sans  reproche,  under  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen  p 
a   man  who,   commencing  life   as  a   gentleman   of 
small  estate,  had  gradually,  by  pastoral  and  agricul- 
tural enterprise,  acquired  a  colossal  fortune  ;  a  man 
whose  hands  had  never  been  soiled  by  contact  with 
V  those  curses  in  disguise — guano  and  nitrate  of  soda ; 
a  man  princely  in  mien,  and  almost  lavish  in  his 
hospitality  ;  a  man  who  had  heretofore  steered  clear 


152  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

of  politics,  but  who,  during  the  dispute  between 
President  and  Congress,  had  thrown  himself  heart 
and  soul  into  the  cause  of  Balmaceda.  Against 
this,  all  that  the  Oposidores  could  assert  was  that  he 
was  a  silly,  vain  old  man,  who,  instead  of  sticking 
to  his  sheep  and  his  wheat,  which  he  thoroughly- 
understood,  had  been  seduced  by  the  blandishments 
of  the  President  (who  naturally  sought  the  support 
of  his  wealth  and  influence)  into  partisanship  upon 
questions  of  which  he  understood  nothing  ;  that  he 
had  been  utterly  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  of 
figuring  as  Minister  of  the  Interior,  just  as  he  was 
now  unable  to  reject  the  dazzling  prospect  of  the 
coming  Presidency,  but  that  he  would,  if  elected,  be 
nothing  better  than  a  puppet  in  Balmaceda's  hands. 
Now,  these  are  charges  easily  made,  but  nothing 
in  Don  Claudio's  successful  career  indicated  folly  or 
weakness ;  and,  speaking  from  my  own  personal 
and,  subsequently,  intimate  knowledge  of  the  man, 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  that  he  could,  so 
far  as  common-sense,  clearness  of  perception,  and 
strength  of  character  are  concerned,  have  bought 
and  sold  the  vast  majority  of  his  critics  many  times 
over.  Him,  at  all  events,  a  convention  of  a  large 
section  of  the  Liberal  Party  had  chosen  as  candidate, 
and,  barring  accidents,  his  election  seemed  a  fore- 
gone conclusion. 

^  Of  course  I  telegraphed  my  intention  of  accom- 
panying the  expedition  to  London.  Two  days 
later  I  received  a  reply  from  the  Times,  affirming 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    153 


[that   my  messages  were    ^  so   contradictory  to   all     ; 
private  and   official   notices   received   as  to   excite      1 
ridicule/  and  finally  bidding  me  'return  immediately.'     .  1 
The  conversation  I  had  overheard  in  the  train  at 
once  recurred  to  me  ;  the  very  event  foretold  by 
one  of  my  critics  had  come  to  pass.     Very  well,  I 
would  return  ;  but  I  could  not  allow  the  stigma 
cast  upon  my  messages  to  lie  unchallenged,  so  I 
framed  the  following  terse  despatch  ;  '  Your  private 
and  official  notices  are  lies.      Confirm  recall.'      This 
I  supplemented  by  another  message,  requesting  an 
immediate  reply,  as  the  expedition  was  upon  the 
eve  of  departure.  /  — v 

The  news  of  my  recall  spread  like  wildfire,  and     / 
the  Oposidores  were  in  great  glee,  as,  indeed,  well  _J? 
they  might  be.     Meanwhile,  pending  receipt  of  a"V 
confirmatory  telegram,  I  had  ample  leisure  to  reflect\  \ 
upon  the  folly  of  attempting   alone    to   stem  the     1 
tide  of  a  foreign  public  opinion  that  had  for  months      I 
been  carefully  educated  by  revolutionary  emissaries     / 
and  nitrate  rings  ;  and  being  pro  tern,  a  '  discredited  1 1 
correspondent,'  I  was  free  to  drown  my  troubles  in  y 
such  pleasures  as  Santiago  could  furnish. 

In  four  days'  time  the  expected  telegram  arrived. 
It  was  as  terse  as  my  own  :  '  Go,  but  wire  facts ' 
only.'  Seldom  has  telegram  afiPorded  greater 
pleasure  to  recipient  than  did  this  one  to  me.  It 
was  not  that  I  had  any  irresistible  longing  to  risk 
my  life,  or  even  to  see  an  ironclad  blown  up  ;  but 
there  was  the  comfortable  feeling  of  triumph  over 


154  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

my  intriguing  adversaries,  whose  joy  would  now  be 
short-lived.  True,  the  permission  was  not  couched 
in  very  flattering  terms.  That  I  was  to  ^  wire 
facts  only  '  might  be  taken  to  mean  that  I  had 
hitherto  not  been  wiring  facts  ;  but  then,  inasmuch 
as  I  was  the  only  correspondent  in  Chile,  and  the 
only  person  with  free  command  of  the  wires,  how 
could  people  in  London  judge  of  my  accuracy  ex- 
cept by  comparison  with  the  absurd  fictions  sent 
from  Iquique  and  Buenos  Aires  ? 

Previous  to  the  receipt  of  this  despatch,  I  had 
informed  the  President  of  the  previous  message, 
which  he  told  me  he  had  heard  of  already.  He 
was  politely  and,  I  believe,  really  sorry  that,  as  he 
expressed  it,  I  should  have  *  burnt  my  fingers 
telling  the  truth,'  adding  that,  whichever  way  the 
Times  might  finally  decide,  I  was  quite  welcome  to 
accompany  the  little  squadron  if  I  chose. 

When  he  now  learnt  that  I  was  empowered  to 
go,  still  as  special  correspondent,  he  was  immensely 
pleased,  perhaps  regarding  it  as  a  sign  that  opinion 
in  London  was  veering  round  in  his  favour.      If  so, 

Che  was  hugely  mistaken.  As  for  the  OposidoreSy 
they  simply  put  it  about  that  the  second  telegram 
was  a  ^  put-up '  job,  several  even  calling,  upon 
various  pretexts,  to  see  and  examine  the  despatch. 
Upon  April  1 6th,  I  left  for  Valparaiso  to  take 
up  my  quarters  upon  the  Imperial,  and  found  that 
every  possible  arrangement  had  been  made  for  my 
comfort.      Two  large  cabins  had  been  fixed  up  en 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    155 

suite — the  one  as  bedroom,  the  other  as  sitting- 
room.  I  had  the  ^  seat  of  honour  '  assigned  to  me 
beside  Captain  Garin,  and  was  from  the  first 
treated  by  all  on  board  with  the  utmost  courtesy 
and  kindness.  We  were  to  have  started  that  even- 
ing, but  certain  finishing  touches  to  the  torpedo 
vessels  delayed  our  departure  two  days  longer. 
The  interval  most  of  us  spent  ashore,  and,  as  cer- 
tain private  entries  in  my  diary  testify,  in  a 
thoroughly  enjoyable  manner. 


I   profited   by  the  delay  also   to  pay  a  visit  to 
Rear-Admiral    Hotham    on  board    the    Warsipite, 
and  with  him  I  had  a  long  conversation.      He  did 
not  hesitate  to  avow  that  his  own  sympathies,  and 
those  of  almost  all   his   officers,  were    strongly  in 
favour    of    the    revolutionists.  ^- But    when    asked 
upon  what  grounds  these  sympathies  were  based, 
the    only   explanation    offered    was,    many   of   the-" 
officers  in  the   revolted  fleet  had  been  trained  iu^ 
the   British   navy,  and  that  a   certain  amount  o£., 
friendly  feeling  had  thereby  been  engendered  be- 
tween the  British  and  Chilian  naval  services.      Of 
the   merits   of  the  political   questions  at  issue  he 
admittedly  knew  nothing  beyond  what  he  had  been 
told  by  the  insurgents  and  their  partisans.  \  But, 
in  his  opinion,  the  mere   fact  that  naval  officers, 
trained  to  habits  of  discipline  and  of  obedience  to 
authority,  should  have   gone  the  length  of  openly 
espousing    the    cause   of    Congress,   was   sufficient       \ 
proof  that  the  cause  was  a  just  one.|     The  Admiral  <:^^ 


156  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

2 had  heard  of  my  projected  departure  with  the  tor- 
pedo vessels,  and  strongly  dissuaded  me  from  going. 
In  plain  terms  he  pointed  out  the  very  grave 
risks  that  would  have  to  be  run,  and  that  all  the 
probabilities  were  in  favour  of  the  three  Govern- 
ment vessels  being  sunk  or  captured,  cautioning  me 
that,  if  taken  prisoner,  I  could  not  hope  that  my 
nationality  would  save  me  from  the  fusillading 
which  would  ensue.  Finally  he  offered  me,  if  I 
wished  to  visit  Iquique,  a  passage  thither  on  board 
the  Champion.  Nothing  could  have  been  kinder 
than  both  the  Admiral's  words  and  manner ;  and  I 
thanked  him  very  gratefully.  But  I  begged  him 
to  remember  that  I  had  promised  to  go  with  the 
squadron,  and  that  if  I  withdrew  at  the  last 
moment  men  would  say  ^  the  gringo  was  afraid.' 
This  consideration  clearly  had  weight  with  him  ; 
and,  finding  me  determined,  he  gave  up  his  well- 
meant  efforts  to  dissuade  me,  and  wished  me  hon 
voyage.  An  inspection  of  the  magnificent  cruiser 
concluded  a  very  pleasant  interview. 

Having  a  steam-launch  at  my  service,  I  went  on 

to  have  a  look  at  the  American  cruiser  Baltimore^ 

/O^hich   had  quite    recently   arrived.  ^  I   found  the 

\    officers,  from  the  captain  downwards,  very  distinctly!! 

partisans  of  the  Government.      They  regarded  the 

alleged  causes  of  the  revolution  as  mere  flimsy  pre- 

/    texts,  and  believed  that  the  whole  affair  had  been 

/     worked  up  by  agitators  on  behalf  of  the  European 

^Ji^nitrate  syndicates.      As  regarded  the  expedition,  it 


TROUBLES  OF  A  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT    i  i59 


1 


was  the  general  belief  that,  properly  handled,  the 
torpedo  vessels  should  sink  the  hostile  ships 
wherever  they  found  them.  I  remember  a  very 
prophetic  remark  made  by  one  officer.  Lieutenant 

S y  :  'If,'  he  said,   '■  the  Lynch   and    Condell 

come  to  close  quarters  with  the  rebel  flagship,    I 

wouldn't  care  to  be  aboard  her.'  /  Now,  the  rebel     ^ 

flagship  was  the  Blanco  Encalada ;  six  days  later 

the  torpedo  vessels  did  come  to  close  quarters  with 

her,  and — well,  all  the  world  knows  the  result.      I 

should  have  admired  the  Baltimore  perhaps  more 

had   I  not  just  quitted  the  War  spite.      Both  are 

classed  as  first-class  cruisers  ;  but  the  British  ship  ^/r^^'m^M 

is  incomparably  the  better-armed  and  better-manned,  ^ 

to  say  nothing  of  having  some   2,000  tons   more 

displacement. 

A  dinner  with  the  captain  and  officers  of  H.M.S. 
JDwphne  agreeably  wound  up  my  last  day  (for  the 
present)  in  Valparaiso. 


x5^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MY    FIRST    CRUISE    WITH    THE    SQUADRON. 

A  Difference  of  Opinion — Practice  makes  Perfect — The  Plan 
of  Operations — A  Compromise — En  route  for  Caldera — We 
lose  our  Consorts — Stirring  News — Fever  on  Board — A 
Warning — The  Sinking  of  the  Blanco  Encalada — The 
Quartermaster's  Yarn  —  Valparaiso  —  Captain  Moraga'  s 
Account  of  the  Blanco  Exploit^'  One  Good  Turn  deserves 
Another ' — The  Eevolutionists  try  Orsini  Tactics — A  Chilian 
Heroine — The  Elections. 

Next  day,  April  18th,  at  11.30  a.m.,  the  three 
vessels  steamed  in  company  out  of  Valparaiso 
Harbour,  as  everyone  ashore  believed,  direct  for 
Iquique.  This,  indeed,  was  also  the  general  belief 
on  board  the  Imperial;  and  being  myself  in  the 
confidence  of  the  leaders  of  the  expedition,  I  was 
considerably  amused  by  the  calculations  of  the 
junior  officers  as  to  the  exact  number  of  days  and 
hours  it  would  take  us  to  reach  the  northern 
capital.  Our  real  immediate  destination  was 
Quintero  Bay,  distant  only  some  thirty  odd  miles 
from  Valparaiso.  Here  it  was  proposed  to  remain 
a  couple  of  days  for  the  purpose  of  torpedo  practice, 
big-gun  firing,  etc.  I  may  mention  that  there  had 
been  a  very  stormy  council-of-war  before  this  judi- 


t 


» 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    159 

cious  preliminary  had  been  decided  upon.  Captain 
Moraga,  of  the  Conddl,  held  the  command-in-chief, 
btrfHe  invariably  consulted  the  two  other  com- 
manders before  taking  decided  steps.  He  had 
been  for  wasting  no  more  time,  but  for  an  imme- 
diate advance  north,  and  attack  wherever  oppor- 
tunity should  offer.  Captain  Fuentes,_^Qf_jthe_  | 
Lynch^  insisted  that  his^  torpedists  and  gunners 
were  raw  hands,  and  needed,  at  least,  a  couple  of 
days'  practice.  Captain  Garin  supported  Fuentes; 
and  a  hot  discussion  ensued.  At  length,  Moraga 
point-blank  refused  to  concede  the  point  ;  where- 
upon the  other  two  threatened  to  resign  their 
commissions.  Admiral  Viel  was  appealed  to,  and 
he  persuaded  Moraga  to  consent  to  the  proposed 
delay.  But  a  certain  amount  of  friction  existed 
after  this  between  him  and  the  others.  And  much 
s  I  afterwards  learned  to  esteem  Moraga,  I  cer- 
tainly think  they  were  right  upon  this  occasion. 
Indeed,  a  few  days  more  fully  vindicated  Fuentes' 
judgment. 

What  with  torpedoes,  big  guns,  quick-firing  guns, 
Gatlings,  rifles,  etc.,  the  time  passed  noisily  enough. 
Upon  the  evening  of  the  second  day  after  our 
arrival,  an  important  telegram  was  brought  over- 
land from  Valparaiso  to  Moraga.  Reliable  informa-*^ 
tion  had  reached  Government  that  the  insurgent 
troopship  Aconcagua  (a  sister-ship  to  the  Imperial) 
was  on  her  way  to  Caldera,  under  escort  of  two 
ironclads.      His   orders,  therefore,  were  to  proceed 


ha 


i6o  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

north,  and  await  a  chance  to   enter   Caldera   Bay 
and  sink  these  vessels. 

I  was  with  Moraga  when  he  received  this  mes- 
sage, which  he  read  to  me,  at  the  same  time  exact- 
ing my  word  that  I  would  not  divulge  its  purport. 
He  then  signalled  for  Fuentes  and  Garin  to  come 
aboard  the  Condell,  remarking  that  the  expedition 
showed  promise  of  a  lively  commencement. 

*  But,  comandante/  said  I,  ^  if  you  and  Fuentes 
attack  these  ships,  what  share  will  the  Imperial 
have  in  the  business  ?  Will  it  be  possible  to  see 
what  goes  on  from  her  deck  V 

*  I  do  not  expect  that  any  of  us  will  see  very 
much,'  answered  Moraga,  ^  because  we  shall  attack 
at  night.  Of  course,  the  Imperial  will  not  accom- 
pany us  inside  the  harbour  ;  she  will  cruise  about 
outside  until  we  rejoin  her.  That  is  just  what  I 
want  to  arrange  with  Garin.' 

*  Then  may  I  tranship  to  the  Condell  ?  I  am 
anxious  to  see  as  much  of  the  operations  as  may  be 
possible.' 

*  Well,  I  hardly  know,  Sefior  Corresponsal.  You 
see,  the  President's  last  instructions  to  me  before 
we  left  were,  "  'No  exponga  el  Imperial  y  sobre  todo  7io 
exponga  el  Senor  Corresponsal."^  Now,  if  you  shift 
to  the  Condell,  clearly  I  shall  be  disobeying  orders 
in  allowing  you  to  run  unnecessary  risk.' 

I  did  not  much  relish  the   prospect   of  perhaps 

'^'  '  Don't  expose  the   Imjoerial,  and,  above  all,  the  Senor 
Correspondent,  to  any  risk.' 


CAPTAIN  OABLOS  MOBAGA. 


11 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    163 

missing  the  whole  performance,  and  was  still  urging 
my  plea  when  Fuentes  and  Garin  made  their  ap- 
pearance. Moraga  read  them  the  telegram,  adding 
grimly  : 

'  Now,  then,  Fuentes,  you'll  have  a  chance  of 
some  more  torpedo  practice.' 

^  Yes,'  retorted  the  commander  of  the  Lynch ; 
'  and  I  hope  my  fellows  will  aim  a  bit  better  than 
yours  did  to-day ' — alluding  to  some  very  bad  trial 
discharges  from  the  Condell  that  morning. 

*  That's  what  we  shall  see,  senor,'  said  Moraga. 
'  In  the  meantime,  let  us  decide  upon  our  plan  of 
operations.'     And  he  produced  a  chart. 

A  long  discussion  ensued,  in  which  the  secretary  y" 
to  the  squadron,  a  remarkably  smart  Anglo- Chilian, 
named  Sartori,  had  a  great  deal  to  say.  A  very 
good  fellow  this  same  Sartori,  and  high  in  favour 
with  Moraga,  but  regarded  with  considerable  jea- 
lousy by  the  other  officers. 

I  Garin  did  not  much  like  the  inactive  role  assigned 
to  the  Imperial,  but  it  was  clearly  all  that  she  could 
do  under  the  probable  circumstances.  He  was  to 
stand  off  as  close  as  he  deemed  prudent  and  await 
results.  Failing  intelligence  within  forty-eight 
hours  of  the  attack,  he  was  to  assume  that  the 
enemy's  ships  had  not  yet  arrived  from  the  north, 
and  was  to  proceed  north  himself,  slowly,  towards 
Iquique,  a  northern  rendezvous  being  fixed  upon. 
The  three  vessels  would  proceed  together  to 
Caldera. 


1 64  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

This  being  settled,  I  again  submitted  my  claim. 
All  opposed  my  leaving  the  Imperial  except  Sartori, 
who  only  saw  one  objection  to  my  joining  the 
Condell :  there  was  not  even  a  spare  bunk  on  board. 
Both  torpederas  were,  indeed,  much  overcrowded. 
Garin  at  last  solved  the  difficulty  by  proposing  that 
the  Corresponsal  should  go  to  Caldera  in  the  Imperial 
and,  upon  the  evening  of  the  attack,  tranship  to 
the  Condell.  And  with  this  compromise  I  had  to 
be  content. 

No  one  was  sorry  when  we  left  Quintero,  which 
might  at  any  moment  have  become  a  regular  trap, 
should  any  hostile  cruisers  have  heard  our  firing  and 
discovered  us.  But  fortunately  they  did  not  care 
to  come  so  far  south. 

And  here  I  shall,  for  convenience,  continue  the 
narrative  of  my  experiences  at  sea  in  the  form  of 
extracts  from  my  diary,  supplemented  by  such  ex- 
planatory remarks  as  may  be  needful  : 

April  21. — Left  Quintero  Bay  at  8  a.m., 
the  Condell  and  Lynch  hugging  the  shore,  the 
Imperial  standing  out  about  six  miles.  A  very 
keen  look-out  is  kept  for  warships  or  blockade- 
runners.  The  orders  are,  it  seems,  to  capture  or 
sink  any  vessel  found  in  Chilian  waters  with  nitrate 
or  arms  in  her  cargo.  At  4  p.m.  passed  a  steamer, 
which  hove  to  in  obedience  to  a  blank  discharge 
from  the  5 -ton  Armstrong  bow-chaser.  She  proved 
to  be  the  Thehen,  a  German,  of  Hamburg,  bound 
from  Guatemala  to  Valparaiso.      Her   papers  and 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    165 

cargo  corresponding  with  her  alleged  course,  she 
was  allowed  to  proceed.  No  lights  are  carried  at 
night.  We  travel  in  total  darkness,  the  saloon 
and  cabin  ports  being  heavily  curtained. 

The  Imperial  is  a  most  comfortable  ship.  In 
addition  to  all  the  modern  luxuries  in  the  way  of 
costly  furniture,  etc.,  music-saloon  with  piano  and 
harmonium,  and  large  and  well-fitted  cabins,  she  is 
fitted  with  a  spar-deck  running  her  full  length, 
which  makes  a  fine  promenade.  The  cuisine  is  by 
no  means  bad,  and  the  wines  very  tolerable.  We 
carry  about  seventy  riflemen,  a  crew  of  nearly  one 
hundred,  and  about  thirty  officers  of  various  grades. 
I  notice  that  five  out  of  seven  quarter-masters  are 
English,  as  are  also  all  the  engineers. 

April  22. — Still  heading  north.  Our  consorts  are 
still  standing  quite  close  in-shore.  Sighted  no 
other  vessels  all  day.  After  it  had  become  dark, 
and  we  had  lost  sight  of  the  torpederas,  we  arrived 
off  Caldera  and  hove  to,  awaiting  signals  from  the 
Condell.  But  none  were  made,  though  there  were 
two  false  alarms  in  the  night,  and  the  officer  on 
watch  believed  he  heard  firing  in  the  direction  of 
Caldera  before  daybreak. 

April  23. — At  early  dawn  all  eyes  were  directed 
towards  land,  from  which  we  were  distant  some 
eight  miles,  but  not  a  sign  of  any  vessel  was  to  be 
seen.  All  on  board  in  a  state  of  great  excitement 
throughout  the  day,  and  anxious  to  look  in  at 
Caldera.     But  Garin's  orders  to  await  signals  were 


i66  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

imperative,  and  though  he  was,  perhaps,  even  more 
anxious  than  the  others,  he  obeyed  them  to  the 
letter.  Upon  this  the  safety  of  the  torpederas 
absolutely  depends,  since  they  only  carry  coal  for 
a  week,  steaming  at  high  speed,  and  rely  on  the 
Imperial  to  replenish  their  bunkers.  As  the  day 
wore  on,  the  opinion  gained  ground  that  the 
expected  enemy's  ships  had  not  yet  arrived,  and 
that  the  torpedo-catchers  were  lurking  in  some 
inlet  until  the  forty-eight  hours  agreed  upon  should 
have  expired. 

At  dinner  I  proposed  the  health  and  memory  of 
St.  George,  and  upon  learning  that  he  had  been 
an  excellent  horseman  with  a  very  pretty  taste  for 
a  fight,  he  was  unanimously  voted  a  very  good 
fellow,  and  the  toast  was  duly  honoured. 

Late  at  night  I  found  the  captain,  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  the  colonel  (Pedro  Campos)  com- 
manding the  troops  on  board  earnestly  discussing 
the  situation,  and  I  was  unanimously  called  in  to 
make  a  fourth.  Assuming  that  the  rebel  ships 
had  not  yet  arrived,  they  could  not  be  very  far  off, 
and  would  probably  time  themselves  so  as  to  enter 
Caldera  Bay  early  next  morning.  If  daybreak 
should  find  the  Imperial  within  range  of  the  guns 
of  an  ironclad  or  of  the  still  more  dreaded 
Esmeralda,  she  would  be  in  a  position  of  great 
peril.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  she  stood  out  to  sea, 
she  might  miss  a  signal  from  the  Condell.  It  was 
finally  decided  to  stand  out  about  five  miles  further, 


MV  MRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    167 

fwith  a  full  head  of  steam  on,  and  trust  to  a  sharp 
look-out  for  timely  warning.  The  probable  where- 
abouts of  the  torpederas  was  next  discussed,  and 
the  weight  of  opinion  favoured  the  theory  that, 
having  drawn  Caldera  blank,  they  were  lying 
perdues  in  some  inlet,  and  would  proceed  slowly  to 
the  northern  rendezvous  next  morning.  (Alas  for 
theory  !  The  Condell  and  Lynch  were  at  that 
very  moment  steaming  in  half-crippled  condition 
back  to  Valparaiso,  after  sinking  the  rebel  flagship^ 
and  crack  ironclad,  the  Blanco  Encalada,  and 
leaving  us  to  Providence  and  our  own  devices.) 

AiJvil  24. — Still  no  sign  of  any  vessels,  and 
early  we  proceeded  slowly  northwards.  Late  in 
the  night  we  made  out  a  steamer's  stern  lights  and 
gave  chase,  but  they  suddenly  disappeared  and  we 
lost  her  in  the  darkness. 

I  April  25. — Overtook  the  Peruvian  steamship 
Maria  Rosa,  bound  north,  and  brought  her  to.  She 
was  (rather  indiscreetly,  I  thought)  allowed  to  go  on 
her  course  without  any  examination  of  her  cargo. 

April  27. — Steaming  very  slowly,  we  were  over- 
taken by  the  German  steamship  Diana,  from 
southern  ports.  She,  like  the  others,  was  stopped 
and  examined,  but,  having  nothing  contraband  on 
board,  was,  upon  the  return  of  the  search  party, 
signalled  'clear.'  Instead  of  steaming  ahead,  she 
deliberately  passed  close  under  our  stern,  and  then, 
stopping  her  engines,  signalled  us  to  send  off 
another  boat.     This  was  at  once  done,  all  wonder- 


1 68  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

ing  greatly  what  ^was  up.'  We  were  not  long- 
kept  in  suspense.  Our  boat  returned  almost  im- 
mediately after  reachinsf  the  Diana,  the  men 
pulling  like  fiends,  the  officer  astern  standing  up, 
waving  a  paper  and  yelling  like  one  possessed. 
"We  held  our  breath  to  listen.  Then  two  words 
were  borne  to  us  by  the  breeze  :  Caldera,  Blanco. 
The  forefinger,  pointing  in  jerks  downwards,  told 
the  rest — the  Blanco  Encalada  had  been  sunk  in 
Caldera  Harbour!  Heavens  !  what  a  yell,  what 
a  succession  of  yells  went  forth  !  A  British  cheer 
is  a  stirring  sound  to  listen  to,  but  for  downright 
deafening  noise  it  can't  touch  a  Chilian  viva  from 
two  hundred  Chilian  throats.  VE  very  one  embraced 
everyone  else  (I  thought  what  a  pity  it  was  we 
had  no^  nice '^Chilian  girls  on  board  to  share  the 
general  enthusiasm),  and  yelled  himself  hoarse. 
Then,  as  the  boat  drew  nearer,  two  fingers  were 
held  up,  and  the  word  Huascar  became  distin- 
guishable. The  Huascar  gone  also  !  Oh,  this  was 
too  much  !  Sore  as  all  throats  must  by  this  time 
have  been,  the  yells  were  redoubled,  and  the 
embracings  presented  the  appearance  of  a  general 
wrestling-match.  ^  My  bad  luck  threw  me  into  the 
titanic  embrace  of  Colonel  Campos  (reputed  to  be 
the  strongest  man  in  Chile),  and  I  esteemed  myself 
fortunate  in  escaping  with  a  broken  eyeglass  and  a 
stud  embedded  in  my  flesh.  /  Then  the  boat  came 
alongside,  the  paper  was  quickly  passed  up  to 
Captain  Garin,  and  he  read  aloud  its  contents.      It 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    169 

^as  but   a   brief  telegram  printed  upon  a  sort  of 
landbill,  but  it  was  startling  enough  :  ^ 

//The  valiant  Captain  Moraga  has  just  returned 
't(y'^ Valparaiso  in  theJ222:id^Zi^with  news  of  which  all 
loyal  Chilians  may  well  be  proud.  At  3  a.m.  upon 
the  23rd_inst.  he,  with  the  gallant  aid  of  Ca£tain 
Fuentes,  of  the  Lynch,  attacked  and  sunk,  by  the 
application^  toirpedoes,  the  flagship  of  the 
revolutionary  fleet,  Blanco  Encalada,  Another 
ship,  believed  to  be  the  Huascar,  was  only 
attacked,  and  it  is  believed  also  sunk.  Then  the 
Lynch  engaged  _in_a  desperate  action  with  the 
transport  Aconcagua,  but  unfortunately  sustained 
severe  damages  to  her  machinery,  as  did  also  to  a  \ 

less  extent  the  CondelL     The  Aconcagua  escaped, 
hotly  pursued  by  the  LmperiaV 

This  last  astounding  item  sent  me  off  into  one 
of  my  incontrollable  fits  of  laughter,  which  I  had 
to  bolt  into  the  chart-room  to  smother.  And  I 
mentally  put  the  whole  story  down  as  one  of  those 
holas  for  the  manufacture  of  which  Chilians  are  so 
justly  celebrated.  Not  so  the  others.  All  the 
rest  of  the  events  recorded  were  true.  The  very  ^ 
fact  of  the  disappearance  of  the  torpederas  and  the 
non-appearance  of  the  hostile  ships  was  clear 
evidence.  The  officer  who  thought  he  had  heard 
guns  now  stood  forth  quite  positive  that  he  had 
heard  them.  What  more  could  anyone  want  ?  The 
only  one  who  appeared  to  share  my  doubts  was 
Garin. 


I70  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

^  It  appeared  that  the  captain  of  the  Diana  had 
not  been  certain  of  our  identity  until  he  saw  the 
ship's  name  astern  ;  hence  his  delay  in  giving  us 
the  tidings.  Out  of  compliment  to  him,  the 
German  flag  was  saluted,  several  volleys  fired, 
cheers  given  and  returned,  and  the  Diana  pro- 
ceeded north,  in  all  probability  to  discharge  her 
freight  at  Iquique. 

It  was  generally  expected  that  we  would  forth- 
with return  to  Valparaiso.  But  Captain  Garin  s 
doubts  were  too  strong.  Even  assuming  that  the 
report  was  substantially  correct,  where  was  the 
Lynch  f  Might  she  not  have  gone  north  to  the 
rendezvous,  trusting  to  the  Imperial  for  coal  ? 
And  what  would  be  her  fate  if  she  did  not  find 
her  then  ?  If  she  had  followed  the  Condell  back 
to  Valparaiso,  both  vessels  could  there  refit,  refill 
their  bunkers,  and  start  again  northwards.  The 
Imperial  carried  a  month's  supply  of  coal  and 
provisions,  and  could  come  to  no  dearth.  Besides, 
she  alone  would  be  doing  the  necessary  blockade- 
cruising.  Garin  s  judgment  was  sound  enough, 
but  the  prospect  of  cruising  off  Iquique  until  the 
torpederas  should  see  fit  to  join  us  was  not  a  tempt- 
ing one. 

It  was  clear  that  Moraga  must  have  found  a 
chance  to  attack  too  unexpectedly  to  allow  him 
time  to  communicate  with  Garin.  Over  and  over 
again  I  bewailed  my  hard  fate  in  not  having  carried 
my  point,   and   joined    the    Condell    at   Quintero. 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    171 

The  very  action  I  had  so  anxiously  wished  to  see 
ad,  probably,  taken  place,  and  I  had  seen  no 
more  of  it  than  a  man  in  Fleet  Street.  I  was 
tolerably  easy  as  to  the  transmission  of  the  news 
to  the  Times  J  having  arranged  with  a  Mr.  Loewen-V 
stein,  an  Englishman,  and  also  a  pressman,  to  act 
for  me  in  my  absence,  and  having,  thereto,  secured 
the  necessary  permission  from  Government.  But 
I  had  not  seen  the  exploit,  and  I  felt  disconsolate. 
Garin  tried  to  console  me  by  pointing  out  that  at 
3  a.m.  Moraga  himself  could  have  seen  very  little  ; 
but  this  was  sorry  comfort,  for  Moraga,  at  least, 
was  there.  I  envied  the  stokers  on  the  torpedo- 
catchers. 

April  28. — Off  Iquique  ;  standing  out  to  sea 
some  forty  miles,  and  barely  moving.  Gun-drill 
and  rifle-practice  all  day. 

April  29. — Nothing.  Ominous  rumours  that 
the  bottled  beer  is  running  short.  The  champagne 
also  has  disappeared  so  rapidly  that  the  doctor  has 
reserved  the  balance  for  the  use  of  the  sick.  Had 
slight  touch  of  fever. 

April  30. — Fever  no  better.  Dr.  Bravo  (a 
most  attentive  young  medico)  congratulates  him- 
self upon  his  foresight  with  respect  to  the  cham- 
pagne. I  congratulate  him  also.  We  congratulate 
each  other  and  have  some  of  the  ^  medical  comfort,* 
he  also  feeling  at  times  feverish.  He  agrees  with 
me  that  quinine  taken  alone  is  lowering  to  the 
system.     Weather  unpleasantly  hot. 


172  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


May  1. — Colonel  Campos  has  got  the  fever 
also,  and  Major  Santiago  doesn't  feel  well.  If 
this  sort  of  thing  continues  the  entire  mass  will 
be  fever-stricken.  The  doctor  hints  darkly  that 
he  doesn  t  believe  them,  and  whispers  his  suspicion 
that  it's  all  a  trick  to  get  at  the  champagne./' 

*  As  to  Campos,  senor,  I  felt  his  pulse,  and  he 

no  more  has  any  fever  than '  (I  wonder  if  an 

unpardonable  indiscretion  will  blurt  out  a  'personal 
pronoun  !)  '  than  .   .   .   Garin  has !' 

At  this  very  moment  a  steward  informs  Dr. 
Bravo  that  the  captain  desires  to  see  him.  Pre- 
sently he  returns. 

'  Pot  Dios,  senor  /'  he  exclaims,  *  this  is  past 
belief      Garin  has  the  fever  too  /' 

After  this  fevers  went  out  of  fashion,  with  the 
champagne. 

May  4. — The  past  three  days  have,  like  most 
of  their  predecessors,  been  a  period  of  absolute 
time-killing  ;  not  even  a  stray  steamer  to  bully. 
But  to-day  we  sighted  one,  and  gave  chase.  She 
was  a  smart  boat,  and  we  overhauled  her  very 
gradually.  When  well  within  hearing  distance 
she  paid  no  heed  to  two  blank  discharges,  and 
Garin,  losing  patience,  was  on  the  point  of  send- 
ing a  ball  after  her,  when  she  hove-to.  She  proved 
to  be  an  English  vessel,  the  Puno,  and,  for  variety's 
sake,  I  accompanied  the  boarding  party,  wearing 
(it  being  somewhat  fresh)  a  naval  cloak  and  a 
yachting  peaked    cap.      Whilst    the    formality   of 


MV  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    173 

overhauling  the  ship's  papers  was  being  gone 
through,  I  got  into  conversation  with  the  chief 
mate. 

'  You're  Enghsh,  aren't  you  ?'  he  inquired. 

'  Yes/  I  repHed  ;  *  I  am  the  Times  correspondent.' 

*  Then,  sir,  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  what  right 
that  armed  mail-boat  has  to  stop  a  British  vessel 
on  the  high  seas  V 

'  I  regret  to  say  I  cannot,'  was  my  answer  ; 
'  unless  it  be  that  long  gun  you  see  projecting 
over  her  bows.' 

*  Well,  sir,'  rejoined  the  mate,  '  it's  a  good  thing 
for  her  there's  no  British  man-of-war  in  sight ; 
and,  what's  more,  it  will  be  a  very  bad  thing  for 
you  if  she  chances  to  be  captured  by  one  of  the 
revolutionary  cruisers.' 

'  Quite  possibly,  my  friend,  but  then  you  see  she 
is  not  going  to  be  captured.  It's  quite  an  arranged 
matter  that  she'll  be  blown  up  first.' 

The  mate  looked  at  me  doubtfully. 

'  Well,  sir,'  he  said,  *  I  wish  you  safe  out  of  it.' 

*  Thanks,'  I  replied.  '  And  now  tell  me  the 
truth  of  this  Caldera  business.' 

He  did  more  ;  he  brought  me  several  news- 
papers containing  details  of  the  affair,  and  which 
I  took  back  with  me  to  the  Imperial.  Upon 
examination  it  appeared  that  but  one  ironclad,  the 
Blanco  Encalado,  had  really  been  sunk,  that  the 
Huascar  was  not  in  Caldera  at  all,  but  that  some 
idea  survived  that  a  small  vessel  called  the  Bio-Bio 


174  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

had  gone  down  also.  The  Lynch  had  returned  to 
Valparaiso,  whereupon  Captain  Garin  at  last 
decided  to  return  to  Valparaiso  too  ;  and  we 
shaped  a  southerly  course  forthwith,  standing  well 
out  to  sea. 

May  5. — At  daybreak  a  large  ship  was  sighted 
upon  the  port  quarter,  which  shaped  a  course  in 
pursuit  of  us,  apparently.  Judging  from  her  out- 
lines and  manifest  speed,  she  was  strongly  sus- 
pected to  be  the  Esmeralda,  and  the  Imperial  was 
sent  along  at  top-pressure.  In  about  three  hours 
she  was  out  of  sight,  having  presumably  abandoned 
the  chase.  \A11  on  board  entertained  a  very  whole- 
some dread  of  this  '  crack  '  cruiser,  which  upon  the 
last  voyage  of  the  Imperial  had  come  very  near 
to  sinking  her.  An  English  quartermaster  gave 
me  the  following  rather  graphic  account  of  the 
incident  : 

*  Well,  sir,  you  see  it  was  just  this  way.  We 
left  Valparaiso  upon  the  first  Saturday  in  March 
to  land  a  regiment  at  a  place  called  Camarones, 
right  away  up  north,  beyond  Pisagua.  We  got 
there  right  enough,  but  on  entering  the  harbour 
found  one  of  the  enemy's  corvettes  waiting  for  us. 
^  The  Imperial  had  not  got  her  big  Armstrong  bow- 
chaser  then,  and  was,  of  course,  not  a  match  for 
even  a  small  warship.  However,  nothing  would 
satisfy  the  captain  but  to  exchange  a  few  shots. 
So  we  let  fly  our  port  guns  at  about  3,000  yards 
range,  and  then,  slewing  round,  tried  the  starboard 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    175 

pieces.  But  the  shots  all  fell  short.  Then  the 
corvette  replied,  sending  shot  after  shot  whizzing 
just  over  our  heads,  and  steaming  towards  us.  Her 
guns  were  evidently  too  good  for  us,  and  so  we 
cleared  out  at  full  speed.  Well,  sir,  we  next  tried 
to  get  the  troops  ashore  at  Antofagasta,  where  we 
arrived  late  at  night  upon  the  11th.  The  captain 
presently  sent  a  steam-launch,  well  manned,  to 
reconnoitre.  Antofagasta  was  then,  of  course, 
still  garrisoned  by  Government  troops  ;  and  as 
the  launch  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  return,  the  port 
dingy  was  sent  ashore,  and  we  went  inside  the 
harbour  and  anchored.  At  the  first  streak  of 
dawn  a  big  hull  was  made  out  in  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  harbour,  half  hidden  behind 
a  sort  of  small  promontory,  and  not  half  a  mile 
away.  In  a  few  minutes  she  was  recognised.  It 
was  the  Esmeralda  I  I  never  saw  an  anchor 
heaved  so  smartly  as  ours  was  that  time,  and  away 
we  ran  westward.  The  Esmeralda  made  us  out 
just  as  we  got  way  on,  and  blazed  away  with  all 
the  guns  she  could  bring  to  bear.  Most  of  us 
thought  it  was  all  up  with  the  Imperial,  'cos  you 
see,  sir,  although  she's  a  smart  boat,  the  Esmeralda 
is  a  couple  of  knots  faster,  and,  having  two  screws, 
can  work  her  guns  to  perfection.  It  was  so  early, 
too,  that  the  cruiser  would  have  a  daylight  chase 
for  fourteen  hours  or  more.  However,  our  only 
chance  was  escape,  and  trust  to  Providence. 
Luckily  it  took  the  Esmeralda  some  time  to  get 


1 76  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

steam  up  properly,  and  we  got  a  good  start  of 
about  six  miles  before  she  held  her  own.  Then 
she  began  to  gain  on  us,  and  the  captain  went 
himself  to  urge  the  engineers  to  crack  on  more 
steam.  That  was  the  cry,  sir,  all  over  the  ship, — 
mas  vapor  !  But  the  engineers  were  doing  their 
best,  and  the  gallant  ship  was  quivering  all  over 
like  an  over-driven  horse.  Presently  we  saw  a 
white  puff  of  smoke,  and  a  shot  struck  the  water 
fair  in  our  track,  but  a  good  bit  astern.  An  hour 
later  another  shot  was  fired,  but  also  fell  about 
the  same  distance  short.  Our  hopes  revived  :  we 
were  holding  our  own,  and,  unless  some  accident 
occurred  to  our  machinery,  we  might  yet  prolong 
the  race  until  nightfall.  It  was  evident  that  the 
Esmeralda  was  in  bad  trim,  for  her,  and,  indeed, 
it  was  pretty  well  known  that  her  bottom  was  very 
foul,  for  lack  of  a  dock  wherein  to  clean  up.  At 
about  6  p.m.  we  fell  off  so  much  in  pace  (owing, 
as  they  said,  to  raking  out  the  furnaces)  that 
several  shots  passed  over  our  heads.  But  soon 
afterwards  we  went  faster  than  ever,  and  got 
fairly  out  of  range  again.  Wasn't  it  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  that  prayed  for  night,  sir?  Well,  he 
never  prayed  harder  than  we  chaps  did.  And  it 
came  at  last,  dusk,  then  dark,  then  black — thank 
God  there  was  no  moon  !  The  Esmeralda  kept 
her  search-light  flashing  about,  but  when  we  altered 
our  course  to  the  northward  she  didn't  seem  to 
know  it,  for  she  still  headed  due  west.     At  day- 


MV  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    177 

break  she  was  out  of  sight,  and  we  veered  round 
to  the  south  again,  making  Coquimbo  Harbour 
two  days  later.  Nothing  saved  us  that  time,  sir, 
but  the  Esmeralda  s  foul  bottom/ 

May  7. — Arrived  in  Valparaiso  port  at  10  a.m. 
Enormous  crowds  were  assembled  upon  the  wharves 
and  upon  the  adjacent  high  ground  to  witness  the 
return  of  the  Chilian  Alabama.  At  least  a  dozen 
bands  were  playing  the  stirring  national  hymn,  and 
all  the  flags  in  the  place  seemed  to  have  been 
brought  into  requisition.  The  Imperial  had  been 
reported  as  having  been  sunk  by  the  Esmeralda  off 
Iquique,  and  the  authorities  had  been  extremely 
anxious  on  her  account ;  hence  probably  all  the 
fuss  made,  for  certainly  our  people  had  done  no- 
thing to  distinguish  themselves.  Not  caring  to 
figure  in  the  show,  I  slipped  into  a  small  shore- 
boat,  and,  making  a  detour,  landed  unnoticed  at  the 
stairs,  just  in  time  to  see  my  late  companions,  in 
full  uniform,  and  preceded  by  the  inevitable  band, 
march  off  in  triumph  to  the  Intendencia. 

I  at  once  sought  out  Mr.  Loewenstein,  and  from 
him  learnt  that  he  had  at  once  telegraphed  the 
Blanco  affair  to  the  Times,  which  had  replied,  asking 
for  full  details  by  post.  These,  too,  he  had  sent. 
This  was  a  good  hearing,  though  I  still  felt  very 
sore  at  having  missed  the  great  event. 

I  next  visited  Captain  Moraga,  and  strongly  up- 
braided him  for  breach  of  covenant  ;  but  he  pro- 
tested that  events  had  so  fallen  out  as  to  make  the 

12 


178  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

delay  incidental  to  any  communication  with  the 
Imperial  impossible,  that  had  he  waited  even  a  few 
hours  the  attack  must  have  failed.  However,  he 
promised  that  next  time  I  should  have  a  fair  view 
of  operations,  and  meanwhile  he  related  all  that 
he  personally  knew  of  the  affair. 

Captain  Moraga's  Account. 

'  The  last  we  saw  of  the  Imperial  was  upon  the 
evening  of  the  22  nd,  when,  as  you  know,  we  were 
not  far  from  Caldera.  About  dusk  a  boat  from 
shore  hailed  the  Lynch,  and,  from  a  notice  thus 
sent,  Fuentes  learnt  that,  if  we  wished  to  catch  any 
of  the  hostile  squadron  at  Caldera,  not  a  moment 
was  to  be  lost,  inasmuch  as  three  vessels  had  already 
left  that  harbour.  Fuentes  signalled  me,  and  then 
came  on  board,  to  arrange  upon  a  plan  of  attack. 
This  was  quickly  agreed  upon.  We  were  to  pass 
Caldera  after  dark,  and  at  about  3  a.m.  to  enter  the 
harbour  from  the  north,  my  vessel  leading  by  about 
two  hundred  yards.  Once  inside,  we  were  to  make 
for  the  rebel  ships,  I  upon  the  starboard  and  he 
upon  the  port  side  ;  creep  up  as  close  as  possible, 
and  let  drive  the  torpedoes. 

*  At  3.30  a.m.  the  Condell  entered  the  bay,  the 
Lynch  following  close  behind.  In  the  dim  light  it 
was  presently  possible  to  make  out  one  large  ship, 
and  astern  of  her  a  smaller  one.  The  former  I 
felt  certain  was  either  the  Cochrane  or  the  Blanco  : 


Afy  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON     179 

the  latter  I  took  for  the  Huascar.  Parting  com- 
)any,  our  two  vessels  manoeuvred  so  as  to  bear 
)row-on  upon  the  big  ship,  and  upon  opposite  sides 
)f  her. 

At  about  one  hundred  yards'  distance  I  ordered 
}he  bow  torpedo  to  be  discharged.  It  missed  its 
lark,  passing  astern,  but,  as  the  look-out  man 
reported,  striking  the  smaller  ship.  Putting  the 
helm  hard  up,  I  ordered  Lieutenant  Vargus  to  let 
go  the  foremost  of  the  starboard  torpedoes,  which 
was  reported  as  having  struck  the  ship  in  the  bows. 
The  second  starboard  torpedo  followed  on.  Just 
then  the  ironclad  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  my 
vessel,  having  apparently  no  suspicion  that  the 
Lynch  was  the  other  side  of  her  ;  and  I  went  full 
speed  ahead.  Meanwhile,  the  Lynch  crept  up  un- 1/ 
observed,  and  at  pistol  range  put  a  torpedo  fair  into 
the  ironclad  amidships.  In  less  than  three  minutes 
she  sank, 
fc  *  As  we  were  leaving  Caldera,  we  met  the  Acon- 
cagua making  for  the  harbour.  Seeing  us,  she 
turned  and  fled  westward,  opening  fire  upon  us  at 
the  same  time.  Then,  seeing  that  our  speed  was 
so  superior  to  hers  as  to  make  escape  hopeless,  she 
again  turned  and  made  for  Caldera,  still  firing  away, 
in  hopes,  doubtless,  of  attracting  the  attention  of 
her  consorts  inside  the  harbour.  She  was  crowded 
with  troops,  so  I  ordered  that  no  Gatling  guns 
were  to  be  used,  but  only  the  Hotchkiss  and  rapid- 
firing  guns.      She  fought  manfully  against  the  two 


k. 


i8o  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

of  US  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  when  she  ceased  firing 
and  stopjoed  her  engines.  She  carried  no  flag,  so 
that  we  accepted  this  as  a  sign  of  surrender,  and 
also  stopped  our  fire.  At  this  moment  a  ship, 
which  we  at  once  recognised  as  the  Esmeralddy  was 
seen  in  the  distance,  apparently  steering  so  as  to 
cut  off  our  retreat.  Both  the  Condell  and  the 
Lynch  had  suffered  severely  in  the  action  with  the 
Aconcagua,  the  vibration  caused  by  the  discharge  of 
our  own  guns  having  burst  many  of  the  steam 
tubes,  so  we  abandoned  the  prize  and  steamed  as 
well  as  we  could  southward.  Shortly  afterwards 
we  saw  that  the  approaching  man-of-war  was  the 
Warspite ;  but  by  the  time  we  returned  for  the 
Aconcagua,  she  had  crept  under  the  guns  of  the  forts. 
i^  I  should  add  that  throughout  these  forts  had  kept 
up  a  heavy  but  ineffectual  fire  upon  us.  Our  losses 
were  one  killed,  ten  wounded.  Two  hundred  and 
forty-five  men  were  drowned  in  the  Blanco.  What 
the  losses  on  the  Aconcagua  were  we  do  not  know ; 
but  certain  it  is  that,  but  for  the  unlucky  appear- 
ance of  the  Warspite  at  the  moment  of  surrender,  we 
would  have  brought  the  transport,  with  the  regi- 
ment on  board,  back  to  Valparaiso.' 

*  Ah  well,'  I  replied,  ^  better  luck  next  time  for 
both  of  us.  When  do  you  again  start  upon  the  war- 
path V 

*  In  two  or  three  days,'  said  Moraga  ;  '  and  if 
you  come  another  trip,  I'll  promise  that  you  shall 
enter    Iquique    harbour    on    board    the     Condell. 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    i8i 


There  are  about  fifteen  transports,  besides  men-of- 
*waT7tn'TIie"nitrate  capital,  so  we  shall  have  lots  of 
sport.  We  are  to  do  some  bombarding  of  the  coast 
towns  also.' 

The  interval  I  decided  to  spend  in  Santiago, 
which  I  much  preferred  to  Valparaiso.  That  after- 
•noon  I  received  the  following  note  from  the  doctor 
of  the  Imperial : 


I 


♦  Imperial,  May  7th,  1891. 
'  Dear  Seiior  Hervey, 

'  I  desire  greatly  to  visit  Santiago,  but  all 
leave  is  stopped.  Could  you  not  have  a  touch  of 
"  fever,"  and  get  me  ashore  ? 

'  Yours, 

C^J.   Bravo.' 
Jpon  the  good  old  principle  that  ^  one  good  turn 
irves  another,'  I  obtained,  without  much  trouble, 
the  required  leave  for  the  worthy  medico  ;  and  we 
■  travelled  to  Santiago  together. 

/"  There  had  been  lately  a  good  deal  of  Orsini^~^ 
bomb  work  going  on.  Bombs  had  been  hurled  at 
the  windows  of  the  President's, library^ -amongst 
groups^  of  newly-elected  senators,  ministers,  and 
other  Government  supporters.  I  arrived  in  the 
very  nick  of  time  to  observe  the  results  of  the 
latest  attempt.  ^It  is  not  considered  *  bad  form '  to 
call  even  as  late  as  11  p.m.  at  a  house  of  which  one 
has  the  entree.      I  had  jestingly  promised  a  member 

£Claudio  Vicuna's  family  that  my  first  visit 


1 82  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

upon  my  return  should  be  to — ]iim\  and  as  the 
train  reached  Santiago  at  10.30  p.m.,  I  decided  to 
effect  a  *  surprise  call/  taking  the  house  en  route,  to 
my  hotel.  But  on  approaching  Don  Claudio's  resi- 
dence, my  coachman  was  stopped  by  a  strong 
patrol  of  mounted  police,  and  I  had  some  trouble 
in  substantiating  my  right  to  pass.  I  found  the 
family  in  a  state  of  considerable  agitation,  though  I 
was  cordially  welcomed. 

'  Come,  senor,'  said  Don  Claudio,  '  and  see  the 
latest  sample  of  revolutionary  tactics.'  And  he  led 
me  to  a  long  room  he  used  as  a  sort  of  study,  one 
window  of  which  gave  upon  the  street.  The  street 
window  and  the  contents  of  the  room  nearest  to  it 
were  shattered.  Upon  a  table  at  the  further  end 
lay  a  metal  ball  with  a  short  projecting  tube,  which 
I  at  once  recognised  as  the  sort  of  bomb  one  sees 
at  Madame  Tussaud's. 

'  This  evening,  at  about  six  o'clock,'  pursued 
Don  Claudio,  '  during  my  absence  at  the  Moneda, 
my  daughter  was  writing  some  letters  for  me  at 
this  table.  Suddenly  she  heard  a  crash  of  broken 
glass,  followed  by  a  loud  explosion  at  the  street 
end  of  the  room.  There  has  been  so  much  bomb 
work  lately  that  she  instinctively  guessed  what 
had  happened.  But  before  she  could  collect  her- 
self sufficiently  to  make  a  rush  for  the  door,  a 
second  bomb  was  hurled  in,  and  rolled  almost  to 
her  feet,  providentially  without  exploding.  This 
she  picked  up  and  threw  out  of  the  other  window 


r 


I 


MY  FIRST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    185 

into  the  'patio.  Then  seeing  that  some  brown  ^ 
paper  was  smouldering  in  a  half-open  box  of  rifle 
cartridges,  she  quickly  dashed  a  large  jug  of  water 
over  it.  By  this  time  the  servants  had  rushed  in, 
and  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  fire,  which  had 
caught  the  curtains  and  elsewhere.  But  my  brave 
girl,  recollecting  that  I  had  gone  out  unarmed, 
took  my  big  Colt  revolver,  and  started  forth  alone 
to  meet  me  on  my  way  back  from  the  Moneda. 
'^  Here,  papa,  take  this,"  she  said ;  and  then  she 
told  me  what  had  occurred.  Not  bad  for  a  sixteen- 
year-old  nina,  eh  ?' 

'  I  assure  you,  Don  Claudio,'  I  replied,  ^  that  my 
indignation  at  this  savage  outrage  is,  if  possible, 
exceeded  by  my  admiration  of  the  senorita's  won- 
derful courage  and  coolness.  This  is  the  work  of 
fiends,  not  of  men  ;  yet  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  believe  that  even  fiends  would  strike  at  the  life 
of  an  innocent  girl.  The  attempt  must  have  been 
directed  against  you.' 

'  Ah,  senor,  they  know  that  they  could  strike 
me  most   fatally   through   my   darling,'   said   Don 
Claudio  sadly.      '  If  they  merely  seek  my  life,  they 
could  easily  take  it  any  day.     I  walk  the  streets, 
generally  unarmed,  and  always  without  an  escort, 
at  all  hours   of  the   day   and  night.      I   have   re-     1 
peatedly  and  publicly  challenged  assassination  ;  bul^,^^-- — 1 
you  see,  my  foes  strike  at  my  home,  at  those  most 
dear  to  me,  not  at  myself 
I      Having  but  one  clear  day  in  Valparaiso,   Don 


i86  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Claudio  insisted  upon  my  dining  cliez  lui  next 
evening,  when,  as  he  gracefully  put  it,  *  the 
English  hero  of  the  press  will  have  an  opportunity 
of  renewing  his  acquaintance  with  the  Chilian 
heroine  of  the  homhas  ;  though,  indeed,  I  failed 
to  see  where  the  '  hero '  part  came  in. 

My  time  was  fully  taken  up  next  day  in 
receiving  and  paying  visits.  My  engagements 
made  up  a  rather  varied  programme,  viewed  politi- 
cally. Three  Oppositionists  breakfasted  with  me  ; 
I  lunched  with  my  friend  Senor  Alfredo  Ovalle, 
took  afternoon  tea  with  the  President,  dined  chez 
Don  Claudio  Vicuna,  and  wound  up  with  supper 
amongst  some  of  the  most  violent  partisans  of  the 
revolution.  Thus,  I  certainly  had  opportunities  of 
hearing  both  sides  of  the  question ;  but  I  neither 
heard  nor  saw  anything  to  induce  me  to  alter  my 
previously-formed  opinion,  either  as  regarded  the 
merits  of  the  quarrel  or  its  probable  results. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  Oppositionists  dis- 
avowed all  connection  with  the  Orsini  bomb  at- 
tempts, and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  more 
respectable  among  them  were  in  no  way  connected 
with  those  outrageous  attacks  ;  still,  the  fact  re- 
-— Gained  that  upon  the  very  day  fixed  for  an  inter- 
view between  leading  revolutionists  and  Ministers 
— a  friendly  attempt  made  by  certain  foreign  re- 
presentatives to  bring  about  peace — a  party  of 
Ministers  and  senators,  including  the  Premier, 
Senor   Godoy,   narrowly   escaped  assassination   by 


MV  FIJ^ST  CRUISE   WITH  THE  SQUADRON    187 

.Orsini  bombs  in  the  public  streets  in  broad  day- 
light,  upon  their  way  to  the  proposed  conference, 
which   latter,   thereupon,    fell  through.      Clearly  a       ^ 

(section,  at  all  events,  of  the   Opposition  did  not      \i 
desire  any  amicable  settlement.     The  revolutionary      1 
chief,   SeJLor  Carlos  Walker   Martinez,  who,  upon     / 
the  strength  of  a  safe-conduct,  had  emerged  from 
his    hiding-place,   the  British    Embassy,  and   two 
other  delegates,  profited  by  the  opportunity  to  place 
themselves  under   the    French    flag,    and    secured 
passages  in  the  French  corvette  Volta  to  Iquique. 

The  elections  had,  for  the  reasons  set  forth  in 
the  previous  chapter,  resulted  in  the  almost  un- 
opposed return  of  Liberals  favourable  to  the 
fcBalmacedist  theory  of  government,  though  of 
course  the  legal  existence  of  the  new  Congress 
would  not  commence  until  June_J^  The  re^  ^^ 
yojted-  Congress  still  legally  existed,  but  having 
er^oyed  its  necessary  three  months  of  ordinary 
sessign,^;from\Juneto  September,  1890,  its  legisla- 
tive  functions  had  leased  with"Tfs  IasT~disms^8j^^  / 

tit  is  most  important  to  remember  that,  by  the 
express  terms  of  the  Chilian  constitution,  \the 
President  is  not  bound  to  convoke  Congress  for 
more  than  these  three  months  in  any  one  year, 
and  that  failing  such  convocation  by  him,  the  mem- 
bers have  no  more  right  to  assemble  for  legislative 
purposes  than  would  have  an  equal  number  of 
.mule-drivers.^     This  may  be  as  radically  unsound 


1 88  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

a  system  as  one  may  choose  to  assert ;  but  it  is, 
for  all  that,  the  plain,  clearly-expressed  law  of 
Chile.  The  Rump  of  the  Congress  had  as  little 
right  to  call  itself  the  Chilian  Congress  at  Iquique, 
as  the  Home  Rulers  would  have,  during  a  recess, 
to  call  themselves  the  Parliament  of  the  United 
Kingdom  in  Dublin. 


CHAPTER  VII, 


MY      SECOND      CRUISE. 

The  Plan  of  Operations — Troops  for  Coquimbo — Scenes  on 
Board — Coquimbo — British  Naval  Station — La  Serena — 
Moraga's  Advice  to  Admiral  Hotham — En  Boute  for  Iquique 
— Coaling  at  Sea — I  tranship  to  the  Condell — A  Contrast — 
A  Desperate  Adventure — '  The  Last  Watch ' — Captain  Cook 
— Moraga  the  Wolf —  U7i  Mauvais  Quart  d'Heure — In  Iquique 
Harbour — The  Union  Jack  saves  the  Kebel  Transports — An 
Alarm — A  Difficult  Torpedo-shot — Moraga's  Dilemma — The 
Ironclad  Cochrane  bears  down — A  Harebrained  Exploit — 
What  the  Prisoners  said  and  did — Northward  to  sink  the 
O'Higgins  in  a  Peruvian  Port — A  Sea-Lawyer — The  Huascar 
and  theMagellanes — A  Naval  Skirmish — Adios — Moraga  the 
Lamb — A  Clever  Euse — Captain  Cook  saves  us — A  Naval 
Duel  declined — We  rejoin  the  Imperial — Bombardment  of 
Iquique — Bombardment  of  Taltal — An  Attack  in  Boats — 
Capture  of  Taltal — A  Banquet  and  a  Bill — Coquimbo — 
Valparaiso. 

The  sinking  of  the  Blanco  Encalada  had  produced 
great  '  moral  effect '  throughout  Chile,  and,  as 
we  afterwards  learnt,  had  created  a  panic  in  the 
revolted  fleet.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  renew 
the  attack,  and,  if  possible,  to  sink  a  ship  or  two 
,in  Iquique  Harbour  itself  A  few  more  such 
lessons   would,    it   was    thought,  bring   the   insur- 

E)0    their    knees.        It     is     tolerably    oertain 
it   for   the   active   and   passive   help^gi^n 


f 


190  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

y  jj^     f>>^      rAvnInfinnigfta      Ky     fr^ypignpra^  ^arirl       more 

^/"       especially    by    the    British,    continued    resistance 

^  WOnlf]     hn.VP.     hf.F^n     iixipnggihli:^^    Q>>Qr>1nf.Aly   rJApp^^rj^^ 

as  thenorthern  towns  were   upon  sea-borne  sup- 

^ plies.     But  the  help  was  given,  and  givelTTiber- 

1     ally.       Steamer     after     steamer     left    Valparaiso, 
Talcuhano,    Coronel,  ^nd  other^_  southern    ports, 
laden  with  coal  and  provisions  of  all  sorts,  clear^ 
[    -r   ing  nominally  for  Callao  or  some  other  neutral  port, 
'     but  always  contriving  to  call  in  at,  or  to  be  inter- 
i       "^epted   off,    Iquique.      Sometimes,   indeed,  the   in- 
,^— ^  surgents   made  a  mistake,   and   '  intercepted  '   the 
\  / '     wrong    vessel,    as   when    Rear- Admiral     Hotham 
compelled  them  to  restore  the  coal  forcibly  taken 
r       from  a  German  collier,  and  to  salute  the  German 
ji       flag  by  way  of  apology.      But  then  this  German 
I        skipper    was    an    exception.       Why,    it     may    be 
I      jiasked,    did    not    Balmaceda    temporarily    stop    all 
[exports    from    Chilian    ports  ?       Because    such    a 
course  would  have  completely  ruined  the  already 
severely -crippled     southern     trade,     and    because 
supplies    could    still    have    been    sent    to   Iquique 
from   Buenos   Aires   or   from   Peruvian    ports,    to 
\  say     nothing     of     awkward      complications     with 
foreign  Governments.    yAnd    so    the   Government 
,\     had    to    look     on    whilst     British     and     German 
\\    steamers   loaded   up   stores   in  Valparaiso   for  the 
j^rebels   at   Iquique.   ^^  It   was    open   to   the   Presi- 
dent  to   prevent   the    entry  of  these  vessels   into 
northern  harbours,  if  he  could  maintain  an  effec- 


MV  SECOND  CRUISE  191 


tual  blockade  ;  but  how  could  he  do  this  with 
the  entire  fleet  against  him  ?  This  was  the 
active  assistance  rendered  to  the  insurgents. 
Passive  aid  took  the  form  of  an  absolute  refusal 
upon  the  part  of  shipowners  to  sell  or  lend  a 
single  steamer  to^  the^  Government.  _The  Souths 
American  Steamship  Company  had_Jnde£d^-Sup- 
plied  the  Imperial,  but  this  ^. they  had  been  com;:, 
pelled  to  do  by  the  terms  of  their  charter.      Nq_ 


J' 


others  could  be  procured  for  love  qrjmoney._    And 
ifl&eing  impossible  for  troops  to  cross  200  miles  of 
desertj  _Balmaceda   was   effectually  debarred   from 
hurling    his    legions    upon   the    revolted    districts. 
His   hopes   for   the   moment   therefore  centred  in 
the  possibility  of   destroying    the  .two    remainin^_ 
/i^^^^dB/<^Gochr(me^nd  Muascar,   and   the   cruisefx 
^^EsmemldcLy-^bj  means   of  ^ the ~~torpederas.       Failing X  - 
this,  he  could  only  await  the  arrival  of  the  new    |  fl-t^;^;^ 
warships    from   France,    and   the    off-chance    that    \ 
his    agents    in    Argentina^  Uruguay^    and    BrazU 
might    succeed    in    buying    up    a    few   tr^Jispacts^ 
Meanwiiil^--ibe'4iad  decided  to  keep  a  large  force      r\A. 
stationed  _  at   CogQHmbo   (about    160    miles    north  p^ 

of  Valparaiso)^  m  readiness  for  future  operations.  '^  — ^ 
f  The  Lynch  had  not  yet  undergone  the  needful 
repairs  consequent  upon  the  damage  inflicted 
upon  her  by  the  guns  of  the  Jjinm:agzia.-BiijCMeY8i,. 
She  was  therefore  left  behind,  with  orders  to 
follow  on  as  soon  as  possible  to  a  rendezvous 
agreed  upon  off  Iquique. 


192  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

Upon  May  10th  the  Imperial  and  the  Condell 
steamed  out  of  the  harbour,  amidst  loud  vivas 
from  the  assembled  spectators.  The  spar-deck 
of  the  transport  had  been  assigned  to  the  troops, 
numbering  500  men.  A  halt  was  made  at  the 
village  of  Papuro,  distant  some  twenty  miles,  for 
the  purpose  of  embarking  800  additional  men 
and  two  batteries  of  artillery.  By  the  time  this 
reinforcement  was  on  board,  the  spar-deck,  exten- 
sive as  it  was,  was  literally  packed  with  humanity. 
V  Most  of  the  soldiers  appeared  to  have  two  or 
more  wives,  and  each  wife  a  liberal  supply  of 
children,  so  that  what  the  total  number  of  souls 
came  to  it  was  hard  to  guess  within  a  few 
hundreds.  A  small  portion  of  the  deck  abaft 
the  chart-room  was  corded  off,  and  a  narrow 
pathway  to  one  of  the  companion -stairs  kept 
clear  by  sentries,  but  the  music  saloon  amid- 
ships was  quite  inaccessible,  and  had,  indeed,  to 
be  locked  up  to  save  it  from  desecration.  Poor 
devils,'  what  a  good-humoured,  merry  lot  they 
were !  It  gave  one  appetite  to  see  with  what 
gusto  the  coarse  fare  served  out  (and  heaven 
only  knows  how  this  was  effected)  was  devoured! 
Huge  mounds  of  bread,  bucketfuls  of  beans,  and 
countless  junks  of  half-raw  meat  appeared  and 
disappeared  in  interminable  relays.  And  when, 
later  on,  all  had  '  camped '  for  the  night,  what 
a  scene  presented  itself!  Men,  women,  rifles, 
children,  knapsacks,  dogs,  in  indescribable  admix- 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  193 


Iure.  It  was  good  to  see  how  the  men  had  given 
Lp  their  ponchos,  and  often  even  their  coats,  to 
make  their  female  comrades  and  the  ninos  more 
comfortable — for  bedding  there  was  absolutely 
none.  I  saw  one  hapless  terrier,  securely  bound, 
serving  as  an  impromptu  pillow  for  a  baby,  the 
mother's  head  reposing  upon  the  breast  of  her 
husband,  who  in  turn  reposed  upon  a  comrade's 
outstretched  limbs.  My  friend  the  quarter- 
master viewed  the  scene  with  a  look  of  intense 
disgust.  '  By  George,'  he  muttered,  '  there'll  be 
a  week's  work  cleaning  up  after  this  lot  !' 

Fortunately  this  invasion  did  not  last  long,  for 
next  day  we  reached  Coquimbo,  and  the  task  of 
disembarkation  at  once  began.  The  method  used 
of  slinging  the  horses  into  the  tenders  struck  me 
as  so  needlessly  brutal  that  I  suggested  to  Colonel 
Campos  to  shove  the  remainder  of  the  animals 
overboard  and  let  them  swim  ashore  ;  and,  upon 
fcny  assurance  that  it  was  sometimes  done  in  our 
service,  when  the  beach  is  good  and  not  too  far 
distant,  my  proposal  was  adopted.  It  was  amusing 
to  see  the  puzzled  look  of  some  of  the  horses  when 
they  found  themselves  afloat  ;  they  seemed  un- 
willing to  leave  the  side  of  the  ship,  but  soon 
struck  out  for  shore,  where  all  arrived  safely. 

A  fine  harbour  this  at  Coquimbo — large,  well 
sheltered,  and  with  deep  water^^up  to  within  a 
furlong  of  the  shore  ;  for  which  good  reasons  it 
was  long  ago  selected  as  a  depot  for  the  British 


K 


194  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Pacific  S  q  uadrQii^___^ We  found  the  Union  Jack 
very  much  en  evidence,  the  Warspite,  Cham'pion,  and 
'  Dap}me.^£iM  lying  within  musket^=range,  whilst  nearer 
still  was  permanently  moored  that  relic  of  bygone 
days,  the  Liffey,  dismasted,  and  now  used  as  a 
supply-ship. 

Of  course,  a  party  of  us  went  ashore,  where 
we  were  most  hospitably  entertained  by  the 
officers  of  the  garrison,  of  whom  I  more  par- 
ticularly remember  Colonels  Carvalho  and  Errazuriz. 
After  a  regimental  lunch  one  usually  sees  things 
couleur  de  rose,  but  I  confess  that  Coquimbo  struck 
me  as  a  particularly  ugly  town.  Upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  bay  is  a  town  of  more  ancient  date  (in 
fact,  some  300  years  old),  called  La  Serena — a  few 
years  ago,  ere  the  French  syndicates  brought  about 
a  crash,  an  important  centre  of  the  copper  industry, 
a  metal  which  abounds  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Nunc  tantum  sinus  et  statio  male  fida  carinis. 

In  fact,  only  vessels  of  very  light  draught  can 
approach  this  side  of  the  bay  at  all.  A  dreary 
place,  Serena,  which  one  reaches  by  rail  from 
Coquimbo.  It  seemed  to  be  heavily  garrisoned  ; 
indeed.  Colonel  Carvalho  informed  me  that  the  two 
towns  between  them  mustered  11,000  troops.  Here 
we  dined,  and,  as  usual,  very  well,  returning  on  horse- 
back along  the  beach,  which  at  low-water  affords  a 
splendid  ten-mile  stretch  of  hard  sand  for  a  gallop. 

Captain    Moraga    always    referred    with    great 


L 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  195 


bitterness  to  the  inopportune  appearance  of  the 
Warspite  at  Caldera,  whereby  the  Aconcagua  had 
been  enabled  to  escape  capture  ;  and  he  now 
strongly  urged  upon  the  British  Admiral  the  ex- 
pediency of  keeping  clear  of  northern  2^orts,  especi- 
ally Iquique,  for  at  least  a  fortnight,  lest,  should  ^ 
he  again  mistake  the  Warspite  for  the  Esmeralda, 
a  regrettable  disaster  might  ensue.  He  made  no 
secret  of  his  intention  to  scour  the  northern  ports 
and  to  torpedo  any  hostile  ships  he  could  discover. 
Rear- Admiral  Hotham  took  the  advice,  as  Moraga 
informed  me,  in  very  good  part,  and  promised  to 
keep  his  squadron  in  southern  waters  for  the  period 
named.  yWhereupon  the  Imperial  and  Condell  started^ 
together  for  Iquique.  ^ 

Beyond  stopping  and  searching  one  sailing-ship, 
nothing  of  any  interest  occurred  during  the  run 
north.  Upon  May  14  th  the  two  vessels  hove  to 
about  sixty  miles  west  of  Iquique  for  the  purposes 
of  filling  up  the  CondelVs  coal-bunkers  and  deciding 
upon  a  plan  of  attack.  Coaling  at  sea  must  be  a 
difficult  operation  in  anything  like  rough  weather, 
since  even  in  the  smooth  water  prevalent  in  these 
latitudes  the  task  is  a  tedious  one.  Whilst  it  was 
in  progress  I  accompanied  Captain  Garin  on  board 
the  Condell,  taking  a  portmanteau  and  some  bedding 
with  me.  I  had  previously  sent  Moraga  a  line, 
reminding  him  of  his  promise  to  allow  me  to 
accompany  him  in  his  next  attack,  whereto  I  had 
received  the  following  reply  : 


L 


196  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Condell,  May  lUh,  1891. 
*  My  dear  Senor  Hervey, 

*  I  shall  probably  attack  to-night.  Come 
by  all  means,  if  you  wish  to,  but  I  warn  you  I  can 
only  offer  you  a  sofa  to  sleep  on.  You  know  how 
glad  I  shall  be  to  have  you  with  me.  So  if  you 
really  are  inclined  to  put  up  with  a  rough  welcome 
and  share  a  little  danger  with  your  friends  on  board 
here,  come  along.  Bring  some  bedding,  especially 
pillows. 

*  Yours  cordially, 

'  C.    MORAGA.' 

Garin,  Campos,  and  the  others  had  tried  hard  to 
dissuade  me  from  going  ;  but  this,  as  I  told  them, 
was  mere  jealousy  because  they  couldn't  go  also. 
And  so  off  I  went.  I  was  most  enthusiastically 
welcomed  by  the  officers  of  the  Condell,  who  re- 
garded my  visit  in  the  light  of  a  personal  com- 
pliment, and  especially  by  the  navigating  officer, 
Captain  James  Cook  (a  descendant  as  well  as 
namesake  of  the  great  navigator),  who  remarked  to 
me  :  '  They  say  ashore  that  an  English  sailor  has 
no  right  to  be  aboard  a  Chilian  war-vessel,  and  IVe 
had  some  doubts  about  it  myself  But  if  a  Times 
correspondent  comes  too,  why,  it  must  be  all 
right.' 

A  brief  council  of  war  was  held  in  the  little 
saloon,  wherein  it  was  agreed  thatHhe  Imperial  was 
to  cruise  upon  the  present  parallel  of  longitude  and 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  197 

dthin   two   degrees   of  latitude,   keeping   a   sharp 
look-out  for  both  us  and  the  expected  Lynch.     And 

jhen,  so  soon  as  the  last  sack  of  coal  had  been  got 

►n  board,  we  parted  company. 

Compared  to  the  Imperial,  the  Condell  seemed 
like  a  little  tug-boat.  She  was,  moreover,  a  dis 
tinctly  dirty  vessel,  it  being  impossible  upon  deck 
to  escape  a  liberal  coating  of  soot  and  coal-dust. 
Yet  withal  her  diminutive  *  saloon  '  was  very  cosy, 
and  the  cuisine  even  better  than  that  of  the  Imperial. 
The  promised  sofa  was  soft  and  comfortable.  In  a 
very  few  hours  I  was  quite  at  home. 

At  about  4  p.m.  we  spoke  an  English  barque 
just  out  from  Iquique,  and  most  probably  nitrate- 
laden.  But,  as  Moraga  wanted  information,  no 
questions  were  asked  about  cargo.  We  learnt  that 
the  news  of  the  Blanco  disaster  had  produced  a 
great  scare,  that  every  possible  precaution  was 
being  taken  to  protect  the  entrance  to  the  harbour 
by  means  of  chains  and  sunken  torpedoes  in  electric 
communication  with  the  shore,  and  that  a  small 
torpedo-launch  had  somehow  been  procured  for 
night-patrol  duty.  It  was  also  stated  that  the 
men-of-war  never  remained  in  harbour  during  the 
night,  standing  out  to  sea  and  returning  in  the 
morning.  All  this  was  serious  news  if  correct. 
Moraga  determined,  therefore,  to  reconnoitre  that 
night  with  a  special  view  to  ascertaining  whether 
or  not  the  report  concerning  the  men-of-war  were 
true.      And  here  I  may  again  quote  from  my  diary. 


198  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

May  14. — At  dusk  the  Condell  steamed  full- 
speed  towards  Iquique.  Onward  through  the 
gloom,  like  a  gray  shark,  a  keen  look-out  being 
kept  for  any  out-going  war-ships,  which  with  her 
tremendous  speed  the  torpedera  might  successfully 
attack  even  in  motion.  At  all  events,  Moraga 
had  decided  to  risk  it,  should  any  turn  up.  At 
about  midnight  a  light  was  reported,  which  was 
presently  recognised  as  Iquique  lighthouse.  When 
about  three  miles  off,  speed  was  slackened  and  the 
harbour  cautiously  approached  until,  with  the  aid 
of  night-glasses,  a  fair  idea  of  the  shipping  could 
be  obtained.  Seven  or  eight  sailing  vessels,  a  few 
small  steamers,  but  no  sign  of  war-ships  or  trans- 
ports. Clearly  nothing  to  be  gained  by  entering 
the  port,  so  Moraga  ran  out  seaward  upon  the  off- 
chance  of  sighting  one  or  other  of  the  absent  iron- 
clads. 

May  15. — Spoke  Imperial  about  forty  miles 
south-west  at  10  a.m.  She  reported  having  learnt 
from  a  schooner  that  ^he  Huascar  is  at  Caldera,  and 
that  the  Cochrane  is  expected  at  Iquique  with  a 
flotilla  of  transports.  The  skipper  of  the  schooner 
being  apparently  friendly  to  the  Government  cause, 
Garin  believed  his  information  to  be  substantially 
correct.  Whereupon  Moraga  decided  to  revisit 
Iquique  that  night  and,  as  he  said,  ^  sink  something, 
were  it  only  a  pontoon,  just  to  put  the  fear  of  God 
in  their  hearts.' 

May  16,  1  a.m. — Moving  at  half-speed  straight 


MV  SECOND  CRUISE  201 

for  the  harbour.  /  As  we  draw  close,  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  rays  from  the  Hghthouse  will  betray  our 
whereabouts,  but  although  the  Condell  passes  it 
within  a  few  hundred  yards,  no  signal  of  alarm  is 
given.  This  seems  a  somewhat  desperate  venture, 
what  with  chains,  booms,  submarine  mines  or  tor- 
pedoes, etc.,  to  say  nothing  of  the  forts  and  possibly 
the  Cochrane;  but  Moraga  is  resolved  to  sink 
something,  and  so  onward  we  go.  In  half  an  hour 
more  we  shall  be  in  the  thick  of  it ;  not  sooner, 
because  we  are  feeling  our  way  with  great  caution. 
It  occurs  to  me  that  a  cigarette  and  B.  and  S. 
(possibly  my  last  in  this  vale  of  tears)  would  not  be 
amiss,  and  not  being  officially  tied  to  the  deck,  I 
obey  instinct  and  descend  to  the  saloon,  profiting 
by  the  occasion  to  jot  down  these  notes.  A  few 
minutes  later  Senor  Sartori  came  down  to  fetch 
something. 

*  Well,  I'll  be  hanged  !'  he  exclaimed.  '  Writing 
noiv  !  You  had  better  shove  your  papers  into  a 
bottle  well  corked,  if  you  are  so  anxious  to  record 
the  "  Last  Moments  of  a  Correspondent."  That's 
not  a  bad  idea,  though,'  he  added  hurriedly,  helping 
himself  to  the  Martell  and  disappearing  up  the 
companion-stairs. 
h  With  some  difficulty  T  groped  my  way  forward 
and  ascended  to  the  bridge,  where  Moraga,  Cook, 
and  others  were  gathered.  Every  man  was  at  his 
post,  and  a  death-like  silence  pervaded  the  vessel  as 
she  slowly  approached  the  shipping. 


DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


^  I  wish  they  would  hurry  up,'  I  whispered  to 
Captain  Cook.  ^  This  suspense  doesn't  agree  with 
me  at  all.' 

*  Perhaps  you'll  wish  it  had  lasted  a  little  longer 
presently/  growled  Cook.  ^  And  look  here  !  what- 
ever happensj  don't  you  leave  the  ship.  I  mean, 
even  if  they  sink  us.' 

'  Oh,  by  Jove  !'  I  answered.  '  If  it  comes  to 
sinking,  I  shall  clear  out  for  those  rocks  over  there. 
I'm  a  good  swimmer.' 

*  Were  you  Webb  himself,  you'd  never  reach 
them.  The  ivater  here  is  just  alive  with  sharks  /'  And 
hurriedly  turning  to  Moraga,  he  said  'Ahora,  senor!' 
(Now,  sir  !) 

A  rapid  vibration  of  the  engine-room  bell,  and 
in  another  minute  we  were  racing  into  the  harbour 
at  top  speed.  Close  in  shore  it  was  just  possible 
to  make  out  two  lines  of  vessels,  one  behind  the 
other.  Only  one  vessel  at  all  resembhng  a  man-of- 
war  could  be  discerned,  and  her  we  fortunately 
identified  as  the  Baltimore.  Indeed,  from  the 
sudden  appearance  of  many  lights  on  board  of  her, 
we  concluded  that  she  must  have  seen  us  and 
wished  to  assist  us  in  recognising  her.  Moraga 
was  savage,  and  called  the  rebel  warships  all  the 
hard  names  he  could  think  of 

'  A  nice  fleet  this,  Sefior  Corresponsal,  is  it  not  ?' 
he  asked  bitterly.  ^  To  abandon  the  port  it  is 
supposed  to  protect  !  However,  when  the  Cochrane 
returns  in  the  morning,  she'll  find  that  the  wolf 


k 


MV  SECOND  CRUISE  203 


I 


has  been  here  during  the  watch-dog's  absence  ;'  and 
he  pointed  significantly  to  the  vessels  moored  in 
line.  Then,  as  we  got  up  close  to  them,  he 
suddenly  dashed  down  his  glasses,  wrenched  the 
telegraph-handle  round  to  '  Steady,'  and  proceeded 
to  curse  as  only  a  Spaniard  in  a  real  rage  can  curse. 
The  cause  of  his  wrath  was  soon  obvious.  The 
front  line  consisted  of  sailing-ships  moored  broad- 
side on  and  in  close  order,  so  as  effectually  to  cover 
the  second  line,  consisting  of  six  or  seven  fair-sized 
steamers — evidently  the  expected  transports.  What 
was  to  be  done  ?  It  was  clearly  impossible  to  get 
at  the  transports  without  sinking  at  least  one  of 
the  sailing-ships.    A  hot,  quick  discussion  ensued. 

'  D them  1'    exclaimed    Moraga    savagely. 

'  What  right  have  these  foreign  vessels  to  shove 
themselves  between  me  and  my  prey  ?  Who  could 
blame  me  if  I  sink  one  of  them  ?' 

In  a  very  few  words  I  pointed  out  that  these 
vessels  were,  to  a  certainty,  British  or  German, 
kknd  that  to  torpedo  one  of  them  would  infallibly 
involve  the  Government  in  a  war  with  Great 
Britain.  Cook  backed  me  up,  and  vowed  he 
would  have  neither  hand  nor  part  in  sinking  a 
British  ship.  Sartori  took  the  same  view.  And 
finally  our  enraged  commander  gave  in.  But  a 
shot  at  something  he  would  have,  and  one  vessel, 
apparently  a  disused  steamer,  and  believed  to  be 
employed  as  a  supply-ship,  was  made  out  standing 
apart   from  the  rest.      At  less   than  one  hundred 


f 


L 


204  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

yards  the  bow  -  torpedo  was  discharged  at  this 
vessel,  and  was  reported  by  the  look-out  man  (a 
negro,  renowned  for  his  good  sight  at  night)  to 
have  struck  her  in  the  bows.  At  this  moment  a 
rapidly-moving  light  was  seen  approaching  the 
Gondell's  port  quarter,  and  several  rifle-shots  were 
heard  from  the  shore.  It  seemed  probable  that 
the  light  belonged  to  the  torpedo-launch  we  had 
heard  of,  especially  as  it  almost  immediately  was 
hidden  ;  and  should  a  general  alarm  be  given  and  a 
search-light  be  brought  to  bear,  the  forts  might 
open  fire  upon  us.  But,  above  all,  no  good  could 
could  be  done  if  the  Condell  remained  in  the 
harbour  all  night.  And  so  the  engines  were 
reversed,  and  she  steamed  astern,  full  speed,  out 
to  sea. 

But  when  about  two  miles  out,  Moraga  again 
stopped  the  engines  and,  summoning  his  principal 
officers  to  the  saloon,  reopened  the  question  of 
attacking  the  transports.  It  was  too  intolerable, 
he  said,  to  have  run  all  this  risk  for  nothing,  or 
next  to  nothing,  with  all  those  transports  waiting 
there  to  be  sunk.  }'  He  did  not  wish  to  exert  his 
authority  as  captain  and  order  a  return  into  the 
harbour,  if  it  were  the  unanimous  opinion  that  it 
would  be  foolhardy.  But  would  no  one  support 
him  in  his  desire  to  have  another  try  ?  No  one 
did.  I  think  all  had  had  enough  nerve-testing  for 
one  night,  especially  as  the  captain  had  no  new 
plan    to    suggest    for    getting    at    the  transports 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  205 

without  sinking  a  sailing-ship.  Possibly  he  himself 
only  asked  opinions  so  as  to  exonerate  himself  from 
any  possible  future  charge  of  having  missed  an 
opportunity.  Anyhow,  the  idea  of  returning  was 
abandoned,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess  that 
I  was  very  well  pleased  that  it  was  so.  But  upon 
one  point  Moraga  was  determined.  He  would 
wait  outside  the  harbour  till  daylight  so  as  to  get 
a  clear  view  of  the  shipping. 

At  7  a.m.  a  large  steamer  was  sighted  coming 
from  the  west,  which  was  soon  made  out  to  be  the 
Cochrane  returning  after  her  nocturnal  cruise.  But 
her  advent  caused  no  uneasiness,  as  it  was  well 
known  that  she  could  steam  no  more  than  nine 
knots  an  hour.  Then  ensued  a  series  of  very 
saucy  manoeuvres  on  the  part  of  the  Condell.  In 
full  view  of  the  big  ironclad  and  of  the  people 
ashore,  she  went  close  enough  to  the  port  for  us  to 
obtain,  with  the  naked  eye,  a  distinct  view  of  the 
shipping  and  of  the  town.  When  I  saw  the  some- 
what intricate  course  he  must  have  followed,  in  the 
dark,  to  reach  the  back-lying  vessels,  I  paid  a 
mental  tribute  to  the  pilotage  of  Captain  Cook. 
And  there  plain  enough  was  the  BaMmarejJput  no 
other  warships.  After  a  fairly  long  inspection,  it 
I  was  deemed  time  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the 
approaching  Cochrane^  then  some  three  miles  off. 
Meanwhile,  a  small  steamer  had  been  approaching 
from  the  north,  and  as  Moraga  wanted  information 
upon  various  points,  he  steamed  off  to  meet  her, 


2o6  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

the  Cochrane  altering  her  course  in  pursuit.  A 
challenge  blank-shot  was  fired,  but  the  steamer, 
emboldened,  doubtless,  by  the  near  presence  of  the 
ironclad,  paid  no  heed.  A  second  blank  discharge 
was  likewise  disregarded.  With  a  grim  smile 
Moraga  fired  a  shot  with  his  own  hand,  which 
passed  within  a  few  yards  of  her  bows.  Then  she 
hove  to,  and  ran  up  the  Union  Jack.  She  was  a 
small  vessel  called  (I  think,  but  am  not  sure)  the 
Juanita,  engaged  in  the  water-carrying  trade.  Her 
skipper  happened  to  be  an  old  friend  of  Cook's,  who 
presently  hailed  him  thus  : 

*  D your  eyes.  Bill !  why  didn't  you  stop  ? 

D'ye  want  a  hole  made  in  your  hull  V 

*  D your  eyes,  Jim  Cook  !  what  the  deuce 

are  you  stopping  for  ?  Don't  ye  see  that  big  chap 
over  there  ?  He'll  put  a  few  holes  in  your  hull,  if 
ye  stop  here  much  longer.      A  pretty  game  you're 

up  to,  and  no  mistake,  a-piloting  a  d d  pirate  I 

You  ought  to  be  durned  well  ashamed  of  yourself, 
Jim  Cook  !' 

Fortunately.  Moraga  does  not  understand  a  word 
of  English  ;  but  Sartori,  as  I  have  said,  is  half 
an  Englishman. 

*  Look  here,  my  friend,'  he  called  out,  '  you  had 
best  keep  a  more  civil  tongue  in  your  head.  What 
ships  are  at  Pisagua  ?' 

*  You'll  precious  soon  find  out,  if  you're  going 
up  that  way,'  was  the  reply. 

*  Que  dice  f  inquired  Moraga. 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  207 

*  Oh,  the  fool  knows  nothing  !'  answered  Sartori 
evasively.  '  And  see,  Senor  Comandante,  the 
Cochrane  will  be  within  range  in  a  few  minutes/ 

'  Bueno  f  said  the  captain  coolly  ;  *  we'll  be  off 
as  soon  as  we  have  spoken  that  little  boat  over 
there,'  indicating  a  small  row-boat  hugging  the 
coast.  '  And,  by  the  way,  hoist  this  signal  to 
the  Cochrane.^ 

Sartori  showed  me  the  slip,  upon  which  was 
written,  ^  Have  a  communication  for  commander,' 
as  he  went  to  the  flag-box. 

The  row-boat  tried  hard  to  escape,  but  to  no 
purpose,  there  being  deep  water  right  up  to  the 
rocks.  A  hail,  followed  by  a  warning  rifle-shot, 
brought  the  boat's  head  in  our  direction. 

'  Quicker  !'  thundered  Moraga  ;  and  very  soon 
the  boat  was  made  fast  alongside,  and  the  occu- 
pants, five  men  and  a  boy  about  six  years  of  age, 
scrambled  on  deck. 

The  Cochrane  was  now  within  easy  range,  but,  to 
our  surprise,  did  not  fire.  Forgetting  the  boat 
alongside,  the  order  was  given  *  Full  speed  ahead  !' 
and  away  we  went,  with  the  result  that  the  boat 
swamped  and  was  cut  adrift.  The  unfortunate 
captives  were  horror-stricken  at  the  loss  of  their 
boat,  and  loudly  bewailed  the  disaster. 

*  Never  mind,  lads,'  said  Moraga,  '  accidents 
can't  be  helped,  and  I'll  make  good  the  value  of 
the  boat.  Come,  now,  answer  these  questions, 
and  turn  out  your  pockets.' 


2o8  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

Then  ensued  a  lengthy  cross-examination,  which 
eHcited  the  information  that  things  were  in  a  very 
bad  way  in  Iquique,  that  provisions  of  all  sorts 
were  at  famine  prices,  work  almost  at  a  standstill, 
and  money  so  scarce  that  almost  every  tradesman 
was  issuing  his  own  vahs,  or  paper-money.  Of 
these  vales  the  captives  had  a  miscellaneous  assort- 
ment, signed  by  all  sorts  of  persons.  The  owner 
of  the  boat  had  almost  sixty  dollars  in  notes, 
payable  at  Valparaiso  by  the  Bank  of  London  and 
Tarapaca  ;  and  these  notes,  he  affirmed,  were  the 
only  ones  esteemed  to  be  of  any  real  value,  because 
\ everyone  knew  that  "^-^^  ^'^g^ish  nitrate  syndicates 
were  financing  the  revolution.  They  all  believed 
that  the  Huascar  and  Maget lanes  were  at  Pisagna 
(about  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Iquique),  and 
that  the  O'Higgins  was  in  the  Peruvian  port 
Pacocho.' 

*  How  much  of  this  rubbish  do  you  earn  a 
month  in  Iquique  V  queried  the  captain,  indicating 
the  vales. 

About  thirty  dollars,  it  seemed. 

'  Biieno,'  he  said  ;  '  now  I'll  give  you  fifty  dollars 
of  good  sound  Government  money  if  you'll  join 
my  crew,  besides  a  suit  of  clothes  apiece,  and  as 
much  as  you  can  eat  three  times  a  day.' 
^  Without  the  least  hesitation  this  offer  was 
joyously  accepted  by  all — the  prospect  of  plenty 
to  eat  apparently  outweighing  even  the  promised 
dollars.      It  was  furthermore  ao^reed  that  the  value 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  209 

>f  the  boat  would  be  paid  at  Valparaiso.  A 
special  meal  was  ordered  for  the  poor  fellows,  who 
seemed  to  be  starving  ;  and  a  few  minutes  later  I 
got  a  glimpse  of  the  ^^oungster  gorging  himself  in 
the  galley,  and '  evidently  upon  the  best  possible 
terms  with  the  cooksJ 

Moraga  decided  to  proceed  due  north,  and  to 
attack  the  O'Higgins  at  Pacocho  that  very  night. 

*  But,'  I  remonstrated,  ^  that's  a  Peruvian  port^ 
and  therefore  neutral.' 

'  I  don't  care  about  that,'  was  the  reply.  *  The 
Peruvian  Government  long  ago  decreed  that  the 
rebel  ships  were  not  to  seek  refuge  in  their  ports, 
and  this  O'Higgins  has  no  business  being  there; 
but  as  the  place  is  unfortified,  and  has  no  guard- 
ship,  it  is  evident  that  the  authorities  there  are 
unable  to  enforce  the  decree.  T  shall  enforce  it  for 
them.' 
Jk  '  This  is  very  bad  international  law,  captain,  I'm 
afraid.' 

*  Perhaps  it  is,'  acquiesced  the  captain,  '  but  it 
is  very  good  sea  law,  especially  when  backed  up 
by  a  couple  of  torpedoes.' 

l^ Meanwhile  the  Cochrane  was  toiling  away  astern 
of  us,  our  speed  being  regulated  so  as  just  to  keep 
out  of  range  of  her  big  guns.  She  hoisted  no  reply 
to  our  signals,  but  followed  us  steadily.  This 
conduct  was  as  unaccountable  as  her  previous 
neglect  to  fire  upon  us  when  within  range,  since 
her  commander  must  have  known  that  the  Condell 

14 


2IO  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

could  have  left  him  out  of  sight  in  half  an  hour. 

The  generally  accepted  theory  was  that  he  wished 

to  get  well  away  from  Iquique  before  opening  up 

communication  with  us.      I  was  extremely  curious 

to  know  what  the  nature  of  the  communication  to 

be  made  might  be,  and  threw  out  a  hint  to  that 

effect. 

^^     *  Well,   I'll   tell   you,   Senor   Corresponsal,'   said 

L     Moraga  ;  '  but  don't   spread  it  about.      I  suppose 

/       you   have   heard  that   the   revolutionists   sent    an 

1        emissary  to  me  offering  me  $200,000  to  join  them 

i. with  this  vessel  ?' 

'  Yes,'  I  replied,  *  I  have  been  told  of  that,  and 
of  your  handing  your  tempter  over  to  the  police.' 

'  Bueno,'  he  went  on,  *  now  I  am  empowered  by 
Government  to  offer  the  commander  of  the  Cochrane 
,^QT^  million  dollars  if  he  will  join  us  with  his  vessel. 
That  would  finish  the  rebellion  at  once.' 

*  I  see,'  I  assented.  '  But  how  can  you  make 
the  offer  ?  Surely  not  by  signal  for  all  his  officers 
to  understand  ?' 

'  No,  of  course  not,'  rejoined  Moraga.  *  If  he 
replies  "  All  right,"  I  must  try  and  find  a  crew 
and  an  officer  who  will  venture  to  await  the  Cochrane 
in  a  boat  under  the  white  flag.' 

*  And  failing  that  ?' 

*  Failing  that,  I  must  risk  it  myself  .  .  . 
unless ' 

'  Unless,'  I  concluded,  laughing,  '  the  Corre- 
sponsal hoists  British  colours  and  goes  instead,  eh  ?' 


L 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE  2n 


■     *  That's  about  it/  assented  Moraga,  echoing  my 
laugh,  but  looking  me  very  hard  in  the  face. 

The  position  was  becoming  a  little  embarrassing. 
The  risk,  such  as  it  might  be,  I  did  not  mind  ;  but 
I  felt  the  utter  impossibility  of  having  any  share 
in  bribing  an  officer  to  betray  his  trust,  rebel  and 
all  though  he  were.  A  midshipman  (Moraga's 
son)  saved  me  the  necessity  of  explanation  by 
descending  into  the  saloon  to  announce  that  two 
steamers,  supposed  to  be  warships,  were  leaving 
Pisagua  Harbour,  apparently  to  cut  us  off.  We 
soon  made  them  out  to  be  the  JIuascar  and  Maad- 
lanes,  and  the  Cochrane  s  reason  for  folio winof  us 
became  more  plain.  Knowing  that  her  consorts 
would  be  informed  by  telegram  from  Iquique  of 
the  CondelVs  route  northward,  she  reckoned  upon 
their  pouncing  out  at  us,  and  perhaps  by  a  lucky 
shot  crippling  us,  when,  of  course,  she  would  be 
^  in  at  the  death.' 

fc  By  altering  his  course  a  couple  of  points  to  the 
westward,  Moraga  might  easily  have  distanced  all 
three  ships  without  running  the  smallest  risk. 
But  he  must  have  his  joke.  He  held  straight 
upon  his  northerly  course.  *  They're  burning  lots  \J 
of  coal,'  quoth  he  ;  '  let  lis  see  if  we  can't  tempt 
them  to  burn  a  little  powder  also.'  And  he 
deliberately  ordered  the  engines  to  be  stopped. 
'  When  they  put  a  shot  over  our  heads,'  he  ex- 
plained, *  we'll  move  on  a  bit  and  lead  them  a 
dance  to  Pacocho  if  they  care  to  follow.' 


b 


212  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


The  Magellanes,  a  wooden  sloop,  opened  fire  first, 
she  being  a  somewhat  faster  vessel  than  the  Huascar. 
V  There  is  a  certain  fascination  in  being  made  a 
target  of  You  watch  the  puff  of  white  smoke 
which  announces  that  the  iron  messenger  is  on 
its  way,  followed,  after  an  interval,  by  a  ^  boom,' 
faint  or  loud  according  to  the  size  of  the  gun,  the 
distance,  and  the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  then 
you  mark  eagerly  where  the  shot  falls.  The 
whistling  rush  of  a  ball  overhead  has  an  especially 
thrilling  sound  until  one  gets  used  to  it.  Of  course 
at  long  range  the  odds  are  greatly  against  any 
particular  shot  striking  the  ship,  and  incomparably 
greater  against  it  striking  an  individual  on  board, 
so  that  the  sense  of  personal  danger  is  not  much 
felt.  We  sat  upon  a  skylight  smoking  and  criti- 
cising the  Magellanes  performance,  whilst  she  sent 
us  three  messages  in  succession,  all  of  which  fell 
short. 

^  I  don't  think  much  of  her  guns,'  commented 
Moraga.  'She  can't  be  more  than  3,000  metres 
off.  Let  us  see.'  And,  carefully  sighting  one  of 
the  Hotchkiss  pieces,  he  fired.  The  little  Condell 
shivered  all  over,  these  guns  being  really  too  heavy 
for  a  vessel  of  her  light  build.  The  shot  passed 
just  over  the  sloop's  bows.  A  second  shot  passed 
clean  over  her,  whereupon  she  steamed  ofi*  towards 
her  consort.  The  Huascar  then  began  to  speak, 
and  to  more  purpose,  shot  after  shot  falling  around 
us  and  ahead.      '  No  use  wasting  powder  upon  an 


'COND  CRUISE  213 


ironclad,'  said  the  captain.  '  I'd  fight  that  wooden 
tub  all  day,  but  I  can't  stand  the  hlmdado!  And 
the  engines  were  again  set  going.  The  Hiiascar 
kept  firing  away  fiercely,  and  for  some  minutes 
made  really  good  practice,  several  shots  falling 
within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  the  torpedera, 
but,  as  luck  would  have  it,  none  striking  her.  Soon 
they  began  to  fall  short,  and  for  about  two  hours 
we  kept  at  just  a  safe  distance,  the  ironclad  blazing 
away  as  fast  as  her  gunners  could  load.  Her 
commander  appeared  to  have  lost  his  head  at  sight 
of  the  torpedera,  and  no  great  wonder,  since  he 
had  previously  commanded  the  ill-fated  Blanco y 
owinof  his  life  to  the  fact  that  he  was  ashore  in 
Caldera  assisting  at  a  banquet  when  his  ship  was 
blown  up.  The  fire  was  kept  up  until  we  could 
hardly  make  out  the  shots  falling  miles  astern.  At 
last  even  he  gave  it  up,  and  we  saw  all  three 
ships  heading  back  towards  Iquique.  From  be- 
ginning to  end,  the  Cochrane  never  once  fired  a 
shot. 

That  night  we  arrived  off  Pacocho,  and  were^ 
about  to  enter  the  harbour,  when  an  extraordinary 
thing  happened.  One  of  the  engineers  came  to 
Moraga  and  very  humbly  begged  to  be  allowed 
"*jhe  use  of  a  boat  so  soon  as  the  OHiggins  should 
)e  struck. 
'  A  boat  ?  What  for,  man  V  asked  the  captain.  , 
'  My  brother  is  on  board  the  O'Higgins,  Senor 
hmandante/  explained  the  suppliant ;  *  and  if  he 


I 


214  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

is  drowned  it  will  break  mother's  heart.  Give 
me  one  chance  of  picking  him  up,  small  as  it 
is.' 

Moraga  looked  at  the  man  for  several  seconds, 
and  then  swore  at  him  roundly. 

*  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  this  before,  you  big- 
hearted  fool?'  he  asked. 
\r^         Then,  turning  to  Cook,  he  merely  bade  him  put 
jj*^  the   vessel's   head   about    and    shape   a    course   to 

yfff       rejoin  the  Imperial,  and  at  once  disappeared  down- 
.  \>^  stairs. 
Qi/         P       *  Did  anyone  ever  meet  such  a  mixture  of  wolf 
Vlj   ^   and  lamb  ?'  ejaculated  Cook,  half  disgustedly. 

But  the  engineer  went  his  way  rejoicing,  and 
spread  the  fame  of  the  Comandantes  good-hearted- 
ness  throughout  the  ship.  A  strange  character,  this 
captain  of  the  Condell !  After  the  Peruvian  War, 
in  which  he  had  highly  distinguished  himself,  he 
had  retired  from  active  service  to  devote  himself 
to  a  quiet  country  life.  But  by  nature  a  stern 
disciplinarian,  he  had  upon  the  outbreak  of  the 
revolution  and  the  mutiny  of  the  fleet  at  once 
offered  his  services  to  the  Government,  which 
eagerly  accepted  them.  He  had  travelled  overland 
to  Buenos  Aires  to  bring  round  the  torpedo  vessels, 
and  was  now  risking  his  own  life  and  his  boy's 
life  in  a  desperate  effort  to  cripple  the  rebel  fleet. 
He  had  distributed  his  share  of  the  Blanco  prize- 
money  (about  $20,000)  amongst  his  crew — an 
example  followed  by  most  of  his  officers  ;  but  he 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE 


215 


as   absolutely   merciless   towards    any  breach    of 
iscipline — a  man  equally  loved  and  feared. 

Maxj  1 7. — About  abreast  of  Iquique,  en  route  to 
ur  rendezvous  with  the  Imperial,  spoke  two  small 
schooners  just  out  from  that  port.  The  crews  were 
very  sulky,  and  reluctant  to  give  information.  It 
was  ascertained,  however,  that,  as  a  result  of  the 
CondeU's  nocturnal  visit,  the  crews  of  the  trans- 
ports had  refused  to  remain  on  board  at  night  for 
the  future,  whilst  in  harbour,  *  until  those  devil's 
ships,  Condell  and  Lynchy  should  be  captured  or 
sunk,'  and  that  a  battalion,  which  it  had  been 
intended  to  despatch  to  Caldera,  had  absolutely 
declined  to  embark.  Also  that  two  new  forts  had 
been  lately  erected,  and  in  positions  which  made  it 
plain  that  we  must  have  passed  unseen  within  fifty 
yards  of  one  of  them ;  that  additional  sunken 
torpedoes  were  being  laid  down ;  and  that  two 
more  steam-launches  had  been  detailed  off  for  night 
patrol  duty.  The  pontoon  had  been  struck  too  far 
forward  (close  to  the  cut-water)  for  the  torpedo  to 
do  more  than  damage  her.  ^  The  Baltimore  was^ 
avowedly  waiting  to  seize  the  It  at  a,  which  had 
escaped  from  Ualiforma  with  ar  cargo  of  arms  and 
ammunition  for  the  revolutionists.  To  prevent 
this  seizure,  two  fast  steamers  had  been  despatched 
to  meet  the  Itata  and  warn  her  captain  to  land  his 
cargo  elsewhere. 

At  10  a.m.,  made  out  the  smoke  of  two  steamers 
going  south,  and  cracked  on  high  speed  to  overtake 


^ 


2i6  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

them.  So  soon  as  we  got  near  enough  to  identify 
them,  the  larger  vessel  was  pronounced  to  be  the 
Imperial.  The  smaller  one,  some  distance  astern, 
and  not  easily  distinguishable  against  the  high 
brown  coast-line,  was  assumed  to  be  the  Lynch. 
What  could  they  be  up  to,  thirty  miles  east  of  the 
rendezvous  parallel  ?  Then,  as  we  came  still  nearer, 
it  was  evident  that  the  smaller  vessel  was  not  the 
Lynchj  having  but  one  funnel.  Then  a  puff  of 
white  smoke  from  her  bows,  followed  at  intervals 
by  other  puffs,  apparently  explained  matters  :  one 
of  the  enemy's  ships  was  pursuing  and  firing  upon 
the  Imperial !  And,  judging  from  her  slow  rate 
of  progress,  something  must  be  amiss  with  the 
Government  transport.  The  excitement  on  board 
was  intense,  as  the  bugle  sounded  to  quarters  and 
the  guns  were  manned  for  action.  Under  forced- 
blast  the  CondelPs  engines  drove  the  little  ship 
along  at  a  speed  of  nearly  nineteen  knots — a  danger- 
ous strain  in  the  patchwork  condition  of  her  tubes. 
Captain  Cook — a  long  telescope  glued  to  his  eye — 
had  hitherto  expressed  no  opinion.  Suddenly  he 
removed  it,  and  quietly  remarked  : 

*  Senor  Comandante,  that's  not  the  Imperial  at  all. 
It's  her  sister-ship,  the  Aconcagua.  The  other  is 
the  O'HigginSj  which  cannot  have  been  at  Pacocho, 
after  all.' 

Captain  Cook  was  known  to  be  almost  infallible 
when  he  expressed  a  decided  opinion.  With  a 
muttered   curse,  Moraga  ordered  the  engines  to  be 


MV  SECOND  CRUISE 


slowed  down,  and  altered  his  course  away  from  the 
pursuing  ship  and  towards  the  fugitive  vessel. 
Almost  immediately  the  latter  altered  her  course 
also,  so  as  to  head  towards  us,  and  opened  fire  with 
her  bow-chasers.  \The  ruse  was  now  apparent,  and 
a  very  clever  one  it  was.  Indeed,  but  for  Captain 
Cook's  coolness  and  judgment,  it  would  have  suc- 
ceeded perfectly,  and  the  torpedera  would  have  found 
herself  under  a  double  fire./ 

'  Caramha  f  cried  Moraga.  '  It  shall  never  be 
said  that  the  Condell  turned  tail  upon  a  transport, 
and  it  will  take  the  O'Higgins  ten  minutes  to  come 
up.'  And,  without  firing  a  shot,  he  bore  at  full 
speed  down  upon  the  Aconcagua.  But  the  latter 
had  not  bargained  to  tackle  the  Condell  single- 
handed,  and  very  promptly  sheered  off  to  meet  her 
escort. 

'  For  Dios  f  exclaimed  the  captain.  ^  If  only  the 
Lynch  were  here  !' 

But  alone  even  he  dared  not  risk  fighting  the 
pair.^  Our  course  was  therefore  shaped  west- 
wards ;  and  four  hours  later  we  picked  up  the 
Imperial, 


*  It  should  be  remarked  that  vessels  of  the  Condell  type 
are  not  intended  to  act  as  fighting  ships,  as,  indeed,  the  name 
'  torpedo-catcher  '  sufficiently  indicates.  A  shot,  or  even  a  ^ 
rifle-bullet,  striking  one  of  the  five  large  torpedoes  on  deck, 
would  cause  it  to  explode  with,  of  course,  destructive  results 
to  the  vessel.  The  risk  run  every  time  the  torpederas  came  ^ 
under  fire  was,  therefore,  far  greater  than  that  of  an  ordinary 
warship.  Indeed,  they  were  used  throughout  in  a  most  fool- 
hardy manner. 


I 


^ 


2i8  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Captain  Garin  at  once  came  on  board  ;  but  he 
had  nothing  of  interest  to  report,  nor  had  he  seen 
any  sign  of  the  Lynch.  He  was  specially  anxious 
that  I  should  rejoin  his  ship,  whilst  Moraga  was 
equally  pressing  in  his  invitation  to  remain  where 
I  was.  I  hardly  knew  which  way  to  decide,  so  as 
not  to  give  offence  to  either.  But  as  it  appeared 
that  both  vessels  were  to  proceed  in  company  upon 
a  bombarding  expedition  down  the  coast,  I  compro- 
mised by  proposing  to  return  temporarily  on  board 
the  Imperial y  with  the  option  of  rejoining  the  Condell 
should  she  undertake  any  specially  interesting  work. 
And  so  I  once  more  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  my  two 
cabins. 

At  5  p.m.  the  Imperial  hove  to  outside  Iquique 
Harbour,  and  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  forts 
and  barracks,  very  carefully  avoiding  the  populated 
portion  of  the  town  and  the  shipping.  The  Condell 
had  sneaked  round  from  the  north,  and,  getting 
under  cover  of  some  high  land,  was  soon  busily  at 
work  also.  VOf  course,  no  definite  results  could  be 
expected  from  this  demonstration,  which  was  in- 
tended chiefly  as  an  insulting  reminder  of  the 
powerlessness  or  cowardice  of  the  fleet ;  nor  do  I 
suppose  much  damage  was  done,  if  any  at  all.  The 
forts  could  not  effectively  reply,  as  we  easily  kept 
out  of  their  line  of  fire,  whilst  the  Condell  was  quite 
concealed  from  their  view.  After  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  of  this  noisy  and  somewhat  bravado 
business,   the    two   vessels    proceeded    southwards, 


MV  SECOND  CRUISE  219 


parting  company,  with  a  rendezvous  opposite  a  town 
called  Taltal  for  the  21st. 

May  21. — -The  Condell  rejoined  the  Imperial,  and— i 
thetwo^vz^essels^ajichored  in  Taltal  Harbour  at  9  a. 
withiij^^ifle  range  of  the  shore.  The  place  was 
known  to  be  unfortified,  and  consequently  there  had 
been  no  intention  of  bombarding ;  but  no  sooner  were 
the  shijjs  at  anchor  than  fire  was  opened  upon  the 
Imperial  from  the  beach,  from  a  couple  of  field- 
pieces,  supported  by  a  rattling  discharge  of 
musketry.  One  shot  carried  aw^ay  a  portion  of  her 
bowsprit,  w^hilst  the  bullets  were  flying  all  round. 
In  a  trice  the  two  ships  replied  ;  and  a  shell  from 
the  Condell  exploding  upon  the  beach,  a  general 
stampede  of  the  garrison  took  place  towards  the 
interior  of  the  town.  The  guns  were  now  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  local  Intendencia,  and  then  Moraga 
signalled  that  the  troops  were  to  land  and  capture 
the  place.  Never  saw  I  men  more  delighted  than 
the  soldiers  on  board  at  this  unexpected  chance  of 
a  scrimmage.  So  far  as  could  be  judged,  the  shore 
garrison  numbered  about  two  hundred  men  ;  and  as 
Colonel  Campos  had  only  sixty  available  after  pro- 
viding for  the  service  of  the  guns,  some  very  warm 
work  was  imminent.  Campos  himself  was  in  high 
glee. 

^'  Come  along,  Mauricio,'  he  cried,  '  and  see  how 
y  children  here  will  make  that  rabble  run  !' 
This  was  a  liberal  proposal  enough  ;  but  what 
right   had   I   to  accompany  the  attacking  party  ? 


1/ 


220  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Besides,  it  is  no  joke  to  go  under  fire  without  the 
privilege  of  returning  shot  for  shot  ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  7iohlesse  oblige.  If  I  remained  on  board, 
might  it  not  be  said  that  the  gringo  was  over-careful 
of  his  skin  ?  One  of  the  ship's  surgeons  (we  had 
two  this  trip)  solved  the  problem  for  me.  '  Here,' 
he  said,  ^  tie  this  red  cross  on  your  arm,  and  come 
and  help  me.'  A  minute  later  we  were  both  in  the 
Major's  boat,  Campos  leading  by  several  lengths. 
Four  boats  started  in  all,  each  carrying  fifteen  men. 
The  garrison  were  very  slow  to  profit  by  the  advan- 
tage given  them  of  having  boatloads  of  men  to 
shoot  at.  The  shore  was  almost  reached  before 
they  opened  fire  ;  but  in  a  few  seconds  four  men 
were  wounded  (two  very  badly),  all  in  the  leading 
boat. 

'  Esperad  canalla  /'  (Wait  a  while,  you  dogs  !)  cried 
Campos,  standing  erect  in  the  stern,  and  shaking 
his  sword  at  the  foe. 

The  men  hardly  waited  for  the  boats  to  touch 
land,  so  impatient  were  they  to  get  at  the  enemy. 
The  garrison  did  not  wait,  either,  but  fled  precipi- 
tately, hotly  pursued  by  the  invaders. 

Moraga  had  meanwhile  landed  some  thirty  men 
lower  doAvn.  The  two  forces  presently  united  and 
formed  into  column.  Parading  the  men  in  the 
Plaza,  Moraga  announced  that  the  penalty  for  any 
outrage  to  a  peaceful  inhabitant,  or  intoxication, 
would  be  instant  death.  The  Intendencia  was  found 
to  be  in  a  sadly  ruinous  condition,  from  the  efifects 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE 


of  the  shells  which  had  been  put  into  it.  A  clean 
sweep  was  now  made  of  all  official  documents  ;  the 
telegraph  instruments  were  smashed  up,  and  all  dis-V 
coverable  Government  property  (including  the  two 
field-pieces  and  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  old- 
fashioned  rifles)  confiscated. 

A  telegram  addressed  to  the  Intendente  from 
Iquique,  and  dated  the  previous  day,  created  much 
amusement,  which  was  increased  by  an  explanation 
given  to  me  by  an  English  resident.  The  telegram 
announced  that  the  Condell  had  been  sunk  by  the 
Huascar,  and  that  the  Imperial  had  surrendered  to 
escape  a  similar  fate.  This  glorious  news  had  been 
communicated  to  the  leading  residents  at  once,  but 
it  was  decided  not  to  make  it  public  until  next  day ; 
for  be  it  noted  that  May  21st  is  a  high  holiday  in^ 
Chile,  being  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Captain^ 
Prat,  the  Chilian  Nelson,  who,  losing  his  ship  the 
Esmeralda  (a  wooden  vessel)  in  a  desperate  engage- 
ment with  the  (then)  Peruvian  monitor  HuascarY 
w^as  slain  in  a  heroic  attempt  to  board  the  ironclad ; 
and  thus  at  Taltal  it  had  been  arranged  to  give  ad- 
ditional eclat  to  the  festival  by  publicly  proclaiming 
the  good  news  received  from  Iquique.  Prepara- 
tions for  a  sort  of  banquet  had  been  in  progress, 
Iphen  the  identical  vessels  supposed  to  be  lost  for 
ever  to  the  '  Dictator '  Balmaceda  had  suddenly 
made   their  appearance  in  the  harbour.      A  more 

£  ludicrous  demente  has  surely  seldom  been  given  to 
•ulous  liars. 


222  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

The  banquet  (perhaps  for  lack  of  time  for  pre- 
paration) was  a  hollow  fraud  so  far  as  eatables  were 
concerned  ;  but  a  very  fair  assortment  of  fluids  was 
discovered    in    the    local  club.       My   English    ac- 

Cquaintance  overcame  my  scruples  to  follow  the 
"Example  of  Campos  and  the  others,  who  were  in- 
dulging in  *  free  drinks '  ad  lib,,  by  gravely  entering 
my  name   in    the  visitors'   book,  being   himself  a 

[member.  This  gentleman's  description  of  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  at  JTa}tal  was  a  very  gloomy  one  ;  in 
fact,  it  was,  like  all  the  other  northern  towns,  com- 
mercially stagnant  and  ever  hovering  upon  the  brink 
of  famine.  The  houses  were  very  gay  with  bunting, 
in  honour  of  Captain  Prat  ;  but,  as  he  said,  the 
cupboards  in  most  of  them  were  dismally  empty. 
The  inhabitants,  he  affirmed,  cared  little  which  side 
won,  but  were  extremely  anxious  to  see  an  end  to 
the  struggle. 

It  was  dusk  before  the  troops  re-embarked, 
many  of  the  inhabitants  imploring  Moraga  to  leave 
them  to  protect  the  town,  alleging  that,  upon  the 
return  of  the  runaway  garrison,  all  sorts  of  excesses 
would  be  committed.  But  this,  of  course,  the 
commander  could  not  do,  the  Government  having 
no  intention  as  yet  of  definitely  re-occupying  the 
place. 
V  Just  as  I  was  leaving  the  club,  the  manager,  a 
Frenchman,  politely  handed  me  the  following  *  little 
bill,'  earnestly  begging  me  to  remit  it  to  the 
President : 


MY  SECOND  CRUISE 


223 


*The  Club,  Taltal,  May  21st,  1891. 

List  of  articles  destroyed  or  consumed  after  the 
capture  of  the  town  : 


1  oil-painting 

-     $550 

7  small  do.,  @  $40 

280 

4  sets  billiard-balls - 

560 

Sundries         .          -          . 

280 

Wines,  spirits,  etc.  - 

600 

$2,270' 


I  thought  the  man  a  little  out  of  his  mind,  but 
undertook  the  commission,  and  in  due  course 
executed  it.      Whether  or  not  a  cheque  was  ever 

^ent  from  Santiago,  I  never  heard. 

H    May  23. — Touched  at  Coquimbo. 

May  24. — Arrived  at  Valparaiso.  British 
shipping  gay  with  bunting  in  honour  of  her 
Majesty's  birthday,  which  I  invited  my  friends, 
naval  and  military,  to  celebrate  with  me  ashore. 
We  celebrated. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MY    THIRD    CRUISE. 


A  Spell  Ashore — Chilian  News  from  Abroad — ^Balmaceda 
believes  in  Moral  Effect — At  Sea  once  more — A  Tempting 
Bait — A  Narrow  Escape — Pisagua  bombarded — Iquique 
bombarded — Tocopilla  captured — Nitrate-duties  for  Balma- 
ceda — The  British  Vice-Consul's  Opinion — Antofagasta  bom- 
barded— A  Deserted  Village — Chanaral — The  Condell  in 
Peril — Eeprisals — A  Starving  Population — Mr.  Sherriff's 
Account — The  Imperial  becomes  an  Emigrant  Ship — A 
Delayed  Telegram — Earewells. 

I   HAD   pretty  well  made  up   my   mind   to   tempt 

Providence  no  more  in  northern  waters,  but  rather 

*  to  take  mine   ease  •  at  mine  inn/  and  await  the 

progress  of  events.      With  this  intention,  I  .betook 

myself  to  Santiago  and   endeavoured  to  ascertain 

what  form  the  said  events  would  be  likely  to  take. 

(^  The  end;^f  the  struggle  appeared  to  be  as  far  off 

\       as  ever.      The  army  at  the  disposal  of  Government 

\      now   numbered  about   40,000  men,  and,  although 

/      Oppositionists  boasted  that  most  of  the  regiments 

I       would   desert   at  the  first  favourable  opportunity, 

i       my  own  observations  led  me  to   form  an  entirely 

l^'^'^  different   opinion.      It  was   asserted   also  that  the 

revolutionists  in  the  north  were  only  awaiting  the 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE 


225 


arrival  of  several  large  consignments  of  repeating 
rifles,  sent  to  them  by  their  foreign  sympathizers,..^,, 
to  attack  Balmaceda  upon  his  own  ground  ;  that 
they  had  secured  the  services  of  a  skilled  German 
tactician,  Colonel  Korner,  and  were  quite  confident 
of  ultimate  success.  What  was  quite  certain  was 
^at,'  until  additional  ships  were  secured,  the 
Government  could  not  send  a  sufficiently  strong 
force  northward  to  capture  and  hold  Iquique  ;  ani 
as  yet  there  was  no  reliable  information  concerning 
the  cruisers,  nor  had  any  additional  transports  been 
procurable. 

I  think  the  Balmacedists  were  somewhat  dis- 
appointed that  no  more  ironclads  had  been  sunk, 
and  found  vent  for  their  feelings  in  a  severe  denun- 
ciation of  the  cowardly  conduct  of  the  rebel  ships 
in  abandoning  the  harbours  at  night.  But,  aft 
all,  it  was  the  chief  business  of  these  ships  to 
avoid  being  blown  up,  and  the  plan  followed  was 
the  safest  that  could  have  been  devised.  For 
instance,  had  the  Cochrane  been  in  Iquique  harbour 
the  night  the  Condell  entered,  she  would,  almost  to 
a  certainty,  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  Blanco. 
It  appeared  that  the  reason  the  Lynch  did  not 
start  to  join  us  last  time  was  the  serious  illness  of 
Captain  Fuentes,  who,  the  doctors  said,  had  been 
poisoned.  He  certainly  looked  very  ill,  poor 
iellow. 

P    Of  course,  I   revisited  all  my   old  haunts   and 
looked  up  my  many  friends,  thus  contriving  to  kill 


226  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

a  few  days  pleasantly  enough.  I  derived  especial 
amusement  from  the  perusal  of  the  *  Chilian  news  ' 
published  in  various  foreign  journals.  ^  For  down- 

^  right  fabrications  I  divided  the  first  prize  between 
Buenos  Aires  and  Paris,  the  New  York  papers 
being  a  good  way  ahead  of  their  London  contem- 
poraries, which,  however,  at  times  broke  the  record. 

r^^^Thus,  one   of  the  English  illustrated  papers  pub- 

\      lished  sketches  of  the  bombardment  of  Valparaiso 

)     by  the  revolutionary  squadron,  accompanied  by  a 

(^^  vivid   description  of  the  event.      The  person  who 

made   the    sketches   had  clearly  never  seen    Val- 

r:::^^  paraiso.  But  this  was  a  mere  detail  compared 
to  the  all-important  fact  that  Valparaiso  had  never 
been  bombarded  at  all !  And  when  I  reflected 
that  these  were  the  sort  of  fabrications  so  '  contra- 
dictory '  to  my  messages,  I  began  to  realize  how 
really  ridiculous  I  must  have  made  myself  I 
could  imagine  the  tame  effect  of  a  telegram  sent  by 
me  announcing  perfect  quietude  in  Santiago,  as 
compared    with     an     Iquique     or     Buenos     Aires 

r despatch  describing  wholesale  massacres  in  the 
streets,  or  Balmaceda  fleeing  for  his  life  to  the 
Moneda. 

During  our  absence  an  attempt  had  been  made 
to  secure  a  Government  torpedo-launch,  the  Aldea, 
for  the  insurgents.  Three  of  the  crew  had  been 
bribed,  with  some  of  the  spare  nitrate  money,  to 
run  away  with  the  launch,  which  was  to  be  met 
out  at  sea  by  a  warship.     The  poor  wretches  ful- 


l^J 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE  1227 

filled  their  part  of  the  contract,  but  having  only 
six  hours'  coal,  and  the  man-of-war  not  turning  up, 
the  launch  was  recaptured  by  the  Lynch,  which 
had  started  in  pursuit.  The  three  men  were  tried  ^ 
by  court-martial,  and  of  course  shot.  Yet  the 
Oppositionists  worked  up  tremendous  sympathy  for 
these  bribed  traitors,  and  perhaps  some  day  will 
erect  statues  to  their  memory. 

A  long  interview  with  the  President  did  not  \ 
do  much  towards  clearing  away  the  mists  which 
seemed  to  overhang  the  near  future.  He  could 
take  no  definite  steps  towards  crushing  the  rebel- 
lion so  long  as  the  command  of  the  sea  remained 
in  insurgent  hands.  He  must  await  the  arrival 
of  the  ships  from  France,  which  he  admitted  had 
not  yet  started  from  Havre,  but  which  he  was 
confident  would  very  soon  be  released  by  order  of 
the  judges  of  the  French  Supreme  Court,  '  who,' 
he  ^Zded  bitterly7  *  may~1be~supposed  to  15e  above 
being  influenced  by  iiitfate"^rings,"or  bribed  by 
Jewish  holders  of  Peruvian  bonds/  This  latter 
allusion  was  not  quite  plain  to  me,  but  he  explained 
it.  What  truth  may  lie  either  in  the  allusion  or 
in  the  explanation,  I  do  not  know.  I  merely  give 
the  latter  as  I  got  it. 

■  ^  You  are  aware  that  by  the  treaty  which  closed 
the  Peruvian  War   in  June,   1883,  Chile   became 
possessed   of   Tarapacd,    definitively,    but    that,    as 
regarded  the  two  other  provinces,  Tac^a  and  Arica,    ^) 
she  only  received  them  for  ten  years,  at  the  end 


k 


2  28  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

of  which  time  the  inhabitants  were  to  decide  by  a 
plebiscite  whether  they  should  remain  under  the 
Chilian  flag  or  revert  to  Peru.  Now,  the  total 
loss  of  Tarapacd.,  and  the  possible  prospective  loss 
of  Tacua  and  Arica,  meant  little  short  of  national 
ruin  to  Peru,  which  had  so  long  been  enriched 
with  the  nitrate  deposits  in  these  provinces.  Her 
only  hope  lay  in  recovering  the  two  provinces 
when  the  ten  years  should  have  expired.  And, 
of  course,  the  hopes  of  her  foreign  creditors  lay 
in  the  same  direction,  since  thus  alone  could  they 
ever  expect  to  be  paid.  It  cannot  be  unknown 
to  you,  Senor  Corresponsal,  that  by  far  the  largest 
of  these  foreign  creditors,  the  man  who  has  practi- 
cally held  Peru  under  his  thumb  for  many  years, 
is  a  wealthy  Hebrew  capitalist  of  Paris.  Now, 
for  nine  years  these  provinces  have  been  governed 
from  Santiago,  that  is,  by  governors  and  other 
officials  appointed  by  Chilian  presidents,  Vnd  the 
policy  pursued  has  always  tended  towards  securing 
a  majority  of  votes  in  favour  of  Chilian  nationality 
at  the  approaching  plebiscite.  Beati  possidentes, 
you  follow  me  V 

'  Do  I  overstep  your  Excellency's  meaning  in 
ii^ferring  that  the  presence  of  Chilian  administrators 
might  be  expected  to  influence  the  direction  of  the 
popular  vote  V  I  inquired. 

^  I  believe  that  some  such  idea  prevails  both  in 
Lima  and  in  Paris,'  answered  Seiior  Balmaceda, 
with  a  significant  smile.      '  At  all  events,  it  is  no 


MV  THIRD  CRUISE  229 

jecret  that  I  have  personally  used  every  means  in      1. 

ny  power  towards  retaining  the  provinces.      You         ' 
will,  therefore^janderstand  that  my  continuance  in 
office,  and  the  possibility^orinybetng  succeeded 
by  another_sharing  my  views,  were    regarded  as 
very   distinct    obstacles    in   the   way  of  Peruvian 
hopes.       In    the    confusion    attendant    upon    this 
revolution,    Taciia    and  Arica    have    passed    away 
from  the  control  of  the  central  Government,  and 
are   being  administered  by  nominees  of  the   frag- 
mentary Congress  at  Iquique,  if  indeed  they  are 
administered  at  all.      These  people    must,  at  any 
cost,  keep   upon   friendly  terms  with  Peru,    since 
they  are  dependent  upon  the  good  offices  and  con- 
nivance of  the  northern  republic  for  the  very  bread 
which  they  eat.      And  thus  the  revolution  (espe- 
cially should  I  and  my  Government  be  overthrown) 
affords  a  rare  opportunity  to  Peru  of  regaining  her 
influence  in  her  lost  provinces  during  the  year  pre- 
ceding  the    decisive    plebiscite.       Upon   no    other      ,' 
grounds  is  the  action  of  the  French  Government,     / 
in    detaining   ships   ordered  and   paid   for   by  the 
Chilian    Government,  intelligible.       But  we    shall    l] 
see  what  the  French  judges  have  to  say  upon  the_^ 
subject. '"^ 

r    *  The  President  correctly  foreshadowed  the  judgment  of  the       \ 
French  Courts,  which  decided  that  the  Errazuriz  and  Pinto 
were  the  property  of  the  estabhshed  Government  of  Chile,  and 
must  forthwith  be  handed  over  to  the  agents  of  the  President 
of  the  Eepublic.       But  the  decision  came  too  late  to  save        | 
•^almaceda.  '■'^*^ 


c 


230  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

'  Does  your  Excellency  suppose  that  the  insur- 
gents would  await  the  arrival  of  the  war  ships  V 
I  inquired.  *  Would  they  not  rather  risk  a  descent 
upon  the  south,  once  the  departure  of  the  vessels 
from  France  became  known  V 

'  Yes,'  replied  the  President,  ^  that  would  be 
their  only  chance  ;  but  for  every  man  they  can 
muster  I  can  put  four  into  the  field.  I  have  no 
fears  on  that  score.  Meanwhile  the  torpederas 
must  again  go  north  and  intensify  the  moral 
effect  produced  by  the  recent  expeditions,  if  they 
cannot  manage  to  sink  a  few  ships.  I  shall  order 
Moraga  to  bombard  every  fortified  port  upon  the 
northern  coast.  What  think  you  of  these  attacks  ? 
You  have  witnessed  some.' 

'  Well,  candidly,  your  vessels  are  not  powerful 
enough,  or  numerous  enough,  to  inflict  much 
damage,'  I  answered. 

'  But  I  do  not  wish  to  inflict  much  damage,' 
retorted  Senor  Balmaceda.  *  I  merely  desire  to 
let  the  northern  populations  understand  what  they 
may  expect  later  on,  and  to  prolong  the  scare 
caused  by  the  sinking  of  the  Blanco,  And  who 
knows  ?  Perhaps  the  Cochrane  and  the  Huascar 
may  yet  be  caught  napping.' 

'  Perhaps  so,'  I  assented,  rising  to  take  my 
leave.  '  But  at  present  they  appear  to  believe  in 
the  English  proverb,  that  "  discretion  is  the  better 
part  of  valour."  ' 

Upon  June  1st  the  newly-elected  Congress  com- 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE  231 

menced  its  first  session,  the  President  opening  it 
in  person,  and  delivering  a  clever  but  somewhat 
over-lengthy  inaugural  speech,  wherein  he  went 
over  much  old  ground,  and  indulged  in  sanguine 
hopes  for  the  near  future.  The  first  act  of  the 
new  Chambers  was  to  pass  a  sort  of  Bill  of 
Indemnity,  legalizing  all  decrees  issued  by  Senor 
Balmaceda  since  the  dismissal  of  the  previous 
Congress.  They  then  proceeded  to  discuss  the 
question  of  reforming  the  existing  constitution 
in  accordance  with  modern  ideas — a  question 
which  bade  fair  to  keep  them  fully  occupied  for 
many  months  to  come. 

That  same  evening  I  received  an  urgent  wire 
from  Captain  Garin,  stating  that  the  squadron 
would  start  next  morning,  and  begging  me  to 
make  one  more  cruise  on  the  Imperial,  A 
second  followed  from  Captain  Moraga,  to  the 
same  effect.  I  was  still  undecided,  when  in 
walked  Colonel  Campos,  to  inform  me  that  he 
had  run  up  to  Santiago  on  purpose  to  fetch  me, 
deputed  thereto  by  the  officers  of  the  squadron  in 
conclave  assembled. 

P  ^  You've  got  to  come,  amigo  mio'  quoth  the 
stalwart  Colonel,  '  and  that's  all  about  it.' 

k  And  so  it  was  settled.  We  decided  to  have  a 
*  look  round  '  Santiago  that  evening,  and  to  start 
by  the  express  next  morning,  telegraphing  the 
decision  to  Moraga. 

tmy  diary  : 


232  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

June  2. — Left  Valparaiso  on  board  Imperial, 
accompanied  by  Lynch  and  Condell.  Three  de- 
serters flogged — pour  encourager  les  autres. 

June  3. — Coquimbo.  Went  ashore,  and  ex- 
perienced same  hospitable  treatment  as  before. 
K  Seeking  to  return  on  board  at  12  p.m.,  we  could 
find  no  ship's  boat  awaiting  us.  So  we  lowered 
a  boat  suspended  upon  davits  on  the  jetty,  im- 
pressed four  waiters  to  row,  and  shoved  off". 
Passing  the  Lynch,  were  challenged  by  sentry. 
Having  no  bull's-eye  lantern,  could  not  give  the 
night-signal  (two  long  flashes  followed  by  one 
short  one),  and  passed  on,  whereupon  the  sentry 
fired.  We  raced  on  past  the  Condell,  where  the 
same  thing  happened,  and  the  guard  being 
aroused,  a  perfect  hail  of  bullets  was  sent  in 
our  direction,  but  none  struck  the  boat.  The 
impressed  waiters  were  so  frightened,  that  Campos 
had  to  threaten  them  with  his  revolver  to  keep 
them  going.  Nearing  the  Imperial  we  were  again 
challenged. 

*  Imperial  /'  roared  Campos. 

'  Halt,  Imperial  /'  cried  the  sentry.  '  The  pass- 
word f 

'  Confound  it,'  muttered  the  Colonel,  ^  I've  for- 
gotten it !' 

'  Never  mind,'  suggested  Colonel  Errazuriz,  who 
was  with  us,  and  was  somewhat  *  on  '  ;  ^  never  mind, 
I'll  give  it  to  him.      Ratones !  (Eats  !) '  he  yelled. 

Crack  went  the  sentry's  rifle,  the  bullet  crash- 
ing through  the  gunwale  amidships. 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE  233 

'  Carrajo  f  roared  Moraga.  *  Don't  you  know 
my  voice  V 

'  Si,  comandante,'  replied  the  sentry  ;  *  but 
your  orders  always  are  to  allow  no  one  to  ap- 
proach the  ship  without  the  password.'  And  up 
went  the  rifle  to  his  shoulder. 

'  Confound  you  for  a  fool !'  said  Moraga.  '  Call 
out  the  officer  of  the  guard.' 

'  Mey  hieUj  mi  comandante,'  was  the  reply. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  officer  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  we  were  relieved  from  the  dilemma. 
But  nothing  would  induce  our  scratch  boat's 
crew  to  return  ashore  that  night. 

June  4. — Left  at  night  for  north  ;  the  Imperial 
ablaze  with  lights  on  purpose  to  attract  the  notice 
of  hostile  cruisers,  whilst  the  torjjederas  followed  in 
total  darkness.  The  idea,  of  course,  was  that,  if 
challenged  or  fired  at  by  an  enemy's  ship,  the 
Imperial  was  to  signal  her  surrender,  whilst  the 
Condell  and  Lynch  were  to  torpedo  the  man-of- 
war.  A.  clever  idea  enough,  albeit  somewhat 
risky.  It  was  to  be  kept  up  the  whole  way  north 
to  Pisagua. 

June  8. — This  afternoon  all  three  vessels  opened 
fire  upon  Pisao^ua,  the  forts  and  the  Huascar  re- 
plying ;  but  the  ironclad  did  not  leave  the  harBour^\3 
TEis  time  a  good  deal  of  damage  must  have  beenT 
done,  shell  after  shell  falling  close  to  the  barracks 
and  forts.  The  spar-deck  of  the  Imperial  was 
smashed  through  astern  by  a  ricochet  shot,  one  of 
her  boats  destroyed,  and  her  ensign  carried  away. 


I 


I 


234  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

No  one  seriously  injured  ;  a  few  wounds  from 
splinters. 

June  9. — The  same  fate  befell  Iquique,  and,  so 
far  as  could  be  judged,  with  considerable  effect. 
It  would  have  been  easy  to  have  created  awful 
havoc  amongst  the  shipping,  but  this,  owing  to 
the  presence  of  foreign  vessels,  was  carefully 
avoided. 

June  10. — Proceeding  southward,  the  vessels 
entered  the  undefended  harbour  of  Tocopilla,  and 
j  a  party  was  landed  to  occupy  the  town.  Two 
sailing-ships  had  just  loaded  up  with  cargoes  of 
nitrate,  and  the  duties  thereupon  (amounting  to 
$47,000)  were  exacted.  Mr.  Williams,  the  British 
Vice- Consul,  complained  that  the  revolutionary 
authorities  would  certainly  re-exact  these  dues  ; 
but  this,  as  Moraga  justly  remarked,  was  no 
business  of  his.  !  '  Those  fellows  at  Iquique  care 
little  what  they  do,  so  long  as  they  rake  in  the 
dollars,'  added  Mr.  Williams.  He  subsequently 
begged  me  to  take  a  message  from  him  to  the 
senior  British  naval  commander  at  Coquimbo,  and 
gave  me  his  card  thus  endorsed  : 

'  Tocopilla,  June  10th,  1891. 
'  The  Senior  Officer,  H.M.  Pacific  Squadron. 

'  Sir, 

*  Please  send  one  of  H.M.  ships  at  once  to 
this  port.      It  is  most  essential. 

*W.  H.   Williams, 

'  British  Vice-Consul.' 


^^^^^  MV  THIRD  CRUISE  237 

■  The  Intendente  had  fled,  but  his  wife  had  sought 
refuge  with  Mrs.  WilHams,  a  charming  dame,  with 
a  pretty  taste  for  ^  writing  to  the  papers/  During 
the  confusion  consequent  upon  our  arrival,  the 
local  thieves  had  stolen  several  articles  from  the 
Intendencia.  Whereupon  Mrs.  Williams  sent  me 
a  note  by  her  husband,  saying  : 

^  They  have  stolen  her  blankets,  pillows,  and 
other  things.  Ask  Mr.  Hervey  if  he  can  get 
them  back,  or  I'll  have  a  lovely  notice  on  the 
Balmaceda  crowd.' 

Unfortunately  I  was  unequal  to  the  role  of 
detective-policeman,  so  that  no  doubt  the  threat- 
ened '  lovely  article  '  duly  found  its  way  into  the 
columns  of  some  home  journal. 

June  11. — Keconnoitred  Antofagasta  and  ex- 
changed about  a  dozen  shots  with  the  forts,  but  no 
landing  was  possible,  the  place  being  strongly 
garrisoned.  Proceeding  along  the  brown,  bare 
coast-line,  we  passed  Blanco  Encalada,  literally  a 
deserted  village,  for  of  some  hundred  cottages  not 
one  showed  signs  of  being  inhabited.  A  very 
picture  of  desolation,  these  deserted  tenements  on 
that  barren,  arid  shore  ! 
■  Dined  on  board  Condell,  and  slept  on  the 
sofa. 

June  12, — Early  this  morning  the  Condell  and 
Imperial  entered  Chaiiaral  Harbour,  the  Lynch 
keeping  watch  outside.     There  being  a  strong  ebb- 


) 


238  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

current,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  anchor,  and 
the  Condell  took  up  a  position  about  150  yards 
from  shore.  We  had  previously  seen  a  train  start- 
ing, presumably  bearing  away  the  Intendente  and 
the  garrison  to  a  place  of  safety.  A  second  train 
now  followed,  and  the  ImperiaVs  big  Armstrong 
bow-chaser  was  discharged.  It  was  a  prettily- 
directed  shot,  knocking  the  engine  over  like  a 
ninepin  !  Then,  almost  simultaneously,  a  flash,  a 
thundering  report,  and  the  rush  of  a  projectile  just 
overhead,  between  the  funnels  of  the  torpedera  :  a 
battery  within  150  yards  of  us  !  In  a  trice  the 
gallant  little  Condell  was  vomiting  forth  a  perfect 
torrent  of  missiles  upon  the  spot  whence  the  dis- 
charge had  proceeded.  But  the  battery  replied  no 
more.  Then  the  boats  were  ordered  out,  and  a 
landing  effected.  Cleverly  placed  amongst  the  rocks 
/  were  found  an  old-fashioned  seventy-eight  pounder, 
and  a  smaller  piece,  of  at  least  equal  antiquity, 
r  The  gunners  had  all  disappeared,  but  it  was  con- 
jectured that  they  had  been  unable  to  resist  the 
temptation  of  earning  a  million  dollars  by  a  shot 
at  such  close  range.  Had  they  fired  point-blank, 
they  could  not  have  missed  ;  but  the  gun  had  a 
slight  elevation,  and  it  was  this  that  saved  us. 
Meanwhile,  the  Imperial,  seeing  our  apparent 
danger,  and,  indeed,  as  we  afterwards  heard,  giving 
us  up  for  lost,  commenced  a  furious  cannonade, 
which,  however,  ceased  upon  seeing  our  boat  go 
/"ashore.     By  the  townsfolk  here  Captain  Moraga 


MV  THIRD  CRUISE  239 

was  received  with  enthusiasm,  and  having  promised 
a    passage    to   Valparaiso    to    several   anxious    in- 
quirers, the  news  soon  spread  that  all  who  chose 
could  obtain  free  passages  by  the  Imperial.      Such 
a  scramble  as  ensued  !      Whole  families  turned  out 
of  their  houses,  carrying  furniture,  bedding,  uten- 
sils,  etc.,  towards  the  little  jetty.      I  soon  ascer- 
tained the  reason  of  this  :  the  entire  population " 
was    literally   siarving:      An    extremely    pleasant- " 
spoken  English  gentleman,  a  Mr.  Sherriff,  invited 
me  to  enter  his  house,  when  he  gave  me  a  most 
harrowing  account  of  the  sufferings  of  the  unfor- 
tunate people,  an  account  fully  confirmed  by  the 
ladies  of  his  family.      All  the  able-bodied  men  hadJ^ 
long  ago   been  impressed  to  serve  in  the  revolu-       \ 
lllQnary__ranks  at  Iquique.       No  ships  ever  called     -J^ 
— no  supplies  were  ever  sent.      The  Congression- 
aitsf  leaders  had  simply  seized  the  bread-winners, 
and  had  abandoned  the  aged  and  the  women  and 
children  to  starvation.      The  ladies  (and,  oh,  how 
pleasant  to  see  refined,  well-dressed  Englishwomen 
in  this  abandoned  place  !)  assured  me   that   their 
lives   were  made  miserable    by   the    wretchedness 
they  saw   around  them  ;  for,    of  course,   do   what 
they  would,  they  could  not  relieve  all.     The  gaunt,  ^ 
wolfish  look  of  the  people  one  saw  in  the  streets 
told  its  own  tale  also  ;  and  now,   when  we  came 
to  count  up  heads,  nearly  eight  hundred   famine- 
stricken  wretches  were  clamouring  to  be  taken  on 
board. 


I 


240  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

Captain  Moraga  at  once  made  it  known  that 
this  number  was  greatly  in  excess  of  what  the 
Imperial  could  accommodate  ;  decent  women  could 
evidently  not  be  huddled  together  like  troops  and 
camp-followers.  Finally,  he  decided  that  not  more 
than  three  hundred  would  be  taken,  and  that  those 
first  on  board  would  have  priority  of  claim.  '  That 
will  hurry  them  up,'  he  whispered  to  me.  It 
certainly  did  hurry  them  up,  and  what  few  boat- 
men there  were  were  mobbed  by  the  frantic  crowd. 
Some  few  offered  to  pay  their  passages  to  Val- 
paraiso, and  meth ought  Senor  Sartori  pricked  up 
his  ears  inquiringly  ;  but  the  notes  tendered  were 
all  Iquique  dollar-bills  or  vales^  and,  of  course, 
worthless,  so  the  proposal  was  magnanimously  re- 
jected. The  boatmen  reaped,  if  not  a  golden,  at 
least  a  very  profitable  harvest,  naturally  selecting 
those  passengers  who  bid  highest  for  their  services. 
One  old  lady,  who  had  caused  her  piano  to  be 
brought  down  (upon  Heaven  knows  what  wild  idea 
of  getting  it  on  board),  was  fain  to  barter  the  in- 
strument for  seats  for  herself  and  family.  House- 
hold gods  of  every  description  were  being  offered 
upon  all  sides.  It  was  a  regular  scramble,  and 
*  Deil  take  the  hindmost  !' 

Upon  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  I  noticed  two 
young  girls,  evidently  sisters,  apparently  orphans, 
leading,  as  I  supposed,  their  little  brother  between 
them.  Both  were  very  pretty,  and  the  elder  not 
more  than  eighteen.      I  suppose  I  looked  inquir- 


MV  THIRD  CRUISE  241 

ingly  at  them  as  I  passed,  for  the  elder  followed 
me,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  besought  me  to  get 
them  on  board.  Father  and  mother  both  dead  ; 
they  had  no  money ;  but  they  had  an  aunt  at 
Coquimbo.  Now,  it  is  very  hard  to  say  ^  No ' 
when  two  lovely  black  eyes  are  tearfully  urging 
one  to  say  ^  Yes '  ;  and  when  the  other  sister 
added  two  more  equally  charming  orbs  to  the 
battery,  I  gave  in  at  once.  But  how  get  them  on 
board  ?     An  idea  struck  me. 

'  Come  along,  then,'  I  said  ;  *  jump  into  the 
boat  which  I  will  show  you,  and  cover  yourselves 
as  much  as  you  can  with  my  cloak.' 

And  I  cautiously  stole  round  to  where  Moraga's 
gig  was  in  waiting.      His  son,  a  great  pet  of  mine, 
was  middy  in  charge. 
P    X  Carlos,'  I  explained,  '  I  want  you  to  take  me 
and  these  young  ladies  off  to  the  ImperiaV 

'  Do  you,  Senor  Corresponsal  ?'  replied  Carlos, 
with  a  knowing  grin,  for  which  I  could  have  boxed 
his  ears  ;  '  I  dare  say  you  do.  But  what  would  my 
father  say  if  he  came  here  and  found  the  gig  gone  ? 
He'd  flay  me  !'/ 
h  '  Nonsense,  Carlos,'  I  persisted  ;  '  I'll  come  back 
with  you  and  take  all  the  blame.' 

^  Oh,  all  right  then — come  along ;'  and  very 
gallantly  handing  the  girls  (whom  I  at  once  covered 
up  with  my  cloak),  into  the  stern,  away  we  went, 
the  crew  all  on  the  broad  grin.\ 

i    Luckily  Captain  Moraga  was  too  busily  engaged 


242  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

to  notice  us,  and  we  soon  reached  the  Imperial, 
where  I  safely  deposited  my  fair  freight.  I  ex- 
plained how  matters  stood  to  Garin,  and  he  very 
good-naturedly  caused  the  ship's  boats  to  be 
manned  and  sent  ashore,  accompanying  me  back 
himself  in  Moraga's  gig.  We  left  the  girls  and 
the  youngster  doing  ample  justice  to  an  impromptu 
lunch,  the  first  decent  meal,  doubtless,  they  had 
seen  for  many  a  long  day. 

Moraga  never  alluded  to  the  absence  of  his  gig, 
to  Master  Carlos'  great  satisfaction,  and  was  glad 
to  see  the  ImperiaFs  boats  arriving.  A  rough 
selection  was  made  from  amongst  the  remaining 
applicants,  and  in  less  than  two  hours  the  stipulated 
number  were  on  board  the  transport,  whither  I  also 
returned  with  Garin.  It  was  horrible  to  see  the 
avidity  with  which  our  new  passengers  devoured 
raw  rice,  raw  peas,  and  even  raw  potatoes,  whilst 
the  cooks  were  preparing  a  meal  for  them.  They 
were  classified  so  far  as  possible,  about  thirty  of 
the  more  respectable  being  admitted  to  the  saloon, 
whilst  the  rest  were  located  forward.  I  gave  up 
my  own  cabins  to  my  protegees,  and  was  more  than 
repaid  when  the  elder  archly  regretted  that 
Coquimbo  was  not  a  few  thousand  miles  further 
off! 

June  13. — Called  at  Coquimbo  and  disem- 
barked about  one-third  of  our  passengers,  including, 
alas  !  my  pretty  young  friends.  They  found  their 
aunt   all   right,  and  the  old   lady  entertained  my 


MV  THIRD  CRUISE  243 

inseparable  chum  Campos  and  myself  most  hos- 
pitably. The  troops  here  and  at  Serena  now- 
numbered  nearly  14,000  men. 

y  June  15.  —  Entered  Valparaiso  Harbour  at  ^ 
10  a.m.  x^shore  I  found  a  telegram  awaiting  me  I 
from  the  Times,  requiring  me  to  start  at  once  for  \ 
London  with  certain  documentary  evidence.  -^^"^"^ 

The  Andes  being  quite  closed  up  with  snow,  my 
only  route  lay  via  Magellan  Straits,  and  upon 
inquiry  at  the  office  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company,  I  found  that  the  first  mail- 
steamer,  the  Liguria,  would  leave  upon  the  25  th 
instant.     By  her  I  accordingly  secured  my  passage. 

^xThis  second  recall  did  not  greatly  surprise  me,  for  I 
had  not  gone  back  one  single  inch  upon  my  original 
estimate  of  the  political  merits  of  the  quarrel,  and 
I  still  stood  alone  in  that  estimate  amongst  foreign 
journalists.  A  review^  of  back  numbers  of  leading 
English  journals  (including  the  leviathan  which  I 
had  the  honour  to  represent)  made  it  abundantly 
clear  that  more  weight  was  attached  to  the  fabri- 
cated intelligence  received  from  Buenos  Aires  and 
Iquique  than  to  the  bare  facts  transmitted  by  me 
from  Santiago,  especially  supplemented  as  the 
former  were  by  grossly  inaccurate  communications 
from  enthusiastic  Oppositionists  in  the  Chilian 
capital.  These  gentlemen  made  no  secret  of  the 
fact  that  they  were  leaving  no  stone  unturned  to 
counteract  the  pernicious  influence  I  might  be 
supposed  to  exert.  /  The  surreptitiously-published      j 


244  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

insurgent  organ,  La  Revolucion,  continually  boasted 
\  that,  despite  the  Balmacedist  sympathies  of  its 
correspondent,  the  Times  still  supported  the  Oppo- 
sition, and  quoted  long  extracts  in  proof  thereof 
The  local  organ  of  British  opinion,  the  Chilian 
Times  (owned  and  conducted,  oddly  enough,  by  a 
German),  which  had  contrived  to  escape  suppression 
by  *  holding  a  candle  to  the  devil,'  went  as  far  as  it 
safely  could  in  the  same  direction.  I  was  in  a 
hopeless  minority  of  one.  It  was  hard  lines  to  miss 
the  denouement  of  the  drama.  But  the  decree  of 
I  recall  had  gone  forth,  and  I  perfectly  understood 
I  why.  LMy  mission,  so  far  as  European  opinion  was 
i  concerned,  had  been  a  coup  manque. 
^^  The  news  of  my  approaching  departure  had  not 
on  this  occasion  leaked  out  through  the  telegraph- 
office,  but  became  known  by  the  fact  of  my  having 
engaged  a  cabin  on  the  Liguria.  ^Chilians  are 
extremely  warm  -  hearted,  and  I  got  wind  of  a 
series  of  farewell  banquets  to  be  given  in  my 
honour,  which  drove  me  into  rural  retirement  for  a 
week,  such  demonstrations  being  obviously  so  many 
trump  cards  in  the  hands  of  the  Oppositionists.  A 
couple  of  dinners  enfamille  with  the  President  and 
with  Don  Claudio  Vicuna  could  not,  with  due 
respect  to  their  exalted  stations,  be  declined  ;  and 
these  were  all  I  would  accept,  apart,  of  course, 
from  partaking  of  the  hospitality  of  Senor  Alfredo 
Ovalle  and  other  friends  in  a  private  position. 

The  departure  of  the  Liguria  had  been  postponed 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE  245 

to  the  26th,  and  upon  the  previous  day  I  bade 
farewell  to  Santiago.  The  President  received  me 
alone  and  with  the  utmost  cordiality.  "*$? 

*  You  are  leaving  Chile/  he  said,  *  because  your ' 
judgment  has  led  you  to  lean  towards  my  side  in 
this  civil    war,   and    doubtless   the  black   shadow 
which  has  been  cast  upon  my  reputation  will  also 
bedim  your  own.'  ^J 

'  Possibly,  your  Excellency,'  I  replied  ;  '  but 
that  troubles  me  very  little.  I  have  throughout 
followed  my  own  judgment,  based  upon  what  I 
read,  and  heard,  and  saw.  What  care  I  for  the 
opinions  of  persons  who  either  know  nothing  of 
the  questions  at  issue,  or  who  have  personal  inter- 
ests to  serve  ?  And  now  may  I  venture  to  offer 
you  some  parting  advice  ?  -HQ_JiQt._ underrate  the^^U.^^— \ 
fighting  power  of  the  troops  at  Iquique.  Your^NjP 
ofBc^rs,  from  the  generals  down  to  the  corporals, 
have  the  idea  that  one  regiment  of  well -drilled 
Government  infantry  is  a  match  for  double  its 
number  of  what  they  call  armed  miners ;  and 
equally  armed,  equally  led,  so  I  have  no  doubt  it  \  / 
would  be.  But  these  armed  miners,  inferior  as 
they  are  in  numbers  to  your  large  army,  are  being 
trained  by  a  German  expert,  a  well-known  strate- 
gist, and  they  are,  or  soon  will  be,  provided  with 
repeating-rifles.  Now,  one  regimentj  thus  armed  j 
J  and  thus  led,  is  worth   three  regiments  equipped  "^ 

with   yonv  fusils-Gras   or   Martini  -  Henry.       You/  \l 
have  not  a  single  general  who  understands  modera""'^! 


246  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

r  tactics  ;  your  Peruvian   War  veterans  are   out  of 
date ' 

*■  Pardon  me,  Senor  Corresponsalj  but  I  would 
like  General  Barbosa  to  hear  so  candid  an  opinion 
of  his  capabilities  ;  and  the  President  tilted  back 
his  chair  to  press  an  electric  bell. 

'  One  moment,  your  Excellency.  I  am  speaking 
to  you  now  as  a  friend  and  well-wisher  who  is 
leaving  you,  not  as  an  impertinent  critic  to  the 
President  of  Chile.' 

Senor  Balmaceda  did  not  ring. 

'  That  I  believe,  senor,'  he  said  ;  ^  pray  proceed  ;' 
and  he  looked  at  me  straightly,  candidly — inviting 
truth,  candour. 

'  I  have  not  much  to  say,  your  Excellency,'  I 
went  on,  warming,  up  to  my  work  ;  '  but  that  little 
amounts  to  thisp  the  insurgents  will  not  await  the 
arrival  of  the  Errazuriz  and  the  Pinto,  which, 
added  to  the  tor])ederas,  would  mean  annihilation 
to  the  revolted  fleet.  So  soon,  therefore,  as  you 
receive  certain  information  that  these  vessels  are 
on  their  way  to  Valparaiso,  look  out  for  an  attack.' 

'  Pero,  jpor  Dios,  senor  !'  exclaimed  the  President, 

do    you    know    what    you    are   saying  ?      I  have 

41,000    infantry,    4,000    cavalry,   and   upwards   of 

^0  field-pieces!      They,  with   their  paltry   7,000^ 

'or    8,000    rabble,    attack    Chile  !     The    thing    is 

absurd  !' 

Puede  ser  ahsurdo'  I  persisted  ;  *  but  if  those 
ships  start,  they  will  attack — they  must  attack  or 


My  THIRD  CRUISE  249 

[ie  like  dogs  in  Iquique.  It  only  concerns  you 
\o  provide  against  that  attack.  And  if  my  calcu- 
lation be  correct,  given  their  arms  and  their 
generalship,  you  will  need  odds  of  five  to  two 
against  them  to  win.  At  anything  like  even 
numbers,  your  men  will  be  shot  down  like  rabbits.' 

Senor  Balmaceda  left  his  chair  and  paced  the 
room.     At  length  he  said  : 

'  Senor  Corresponsal,  have  you  ever  been  a 
soldier  V 

'  No,'  was  my  reply  ;  '  but  I  have  seen  some- 
thing of  soldiers'  work.  I  speak  merely  as  a 
civilian,  who  believes  that  a  repeating-rifle  is  more 
than  a  match  for  a  breech-loader.' 

*  I  understand,'  he  replied,  still  walking  to-and- 
fro.      '  And  what  is  your  advice,  then  V 

^  Simply  this,'  I  answered  :  *  keep  all  your  men 
within  twenty-four  hours'  reach,  and  guard  all 
your  railway-bridges.  ^Withdraw  the  forces  fronT 
Coquimbo,  because  Coquimbo  is  not  in  rail  com- 
munication with  Santiago.  The  troops  there  would 
be  simply  isolated,  and  the  town  is  worthless  from 
a  strategic  point  of  view.' 

^ Amigo  mio'  said  Senor  Balmaceda,  stopping 
short,  *  you  mean  well — that  I  know.  But  in 
these  matters  I  am  in  the  hands  of  my  generals  ; 
and  their  views  do  not  correspond  with  yours. 
What  you  urge  seems  reasonable,  when  one  re- 
flects. Yet  I  cannot  act  upon  it.  How  can  I, 
indeed,  oppose  a  civilian  opinion  against  the  unani- 


I 


250  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

inous  counsel  of  the  leaders  of  the  army  ?  Politics 
I  understand,  because  I  am  a  lawyer.  Warfare  I 
leave  to  them,  because  they  are  soldiers.  Y  ya 
esta !' 

'  Well,'  I  concluded,  *  I  hope  all  will  turn  out 
well.  However  it  turns  out,\one  gringo  at  least 
will  always  remember  you  with  sincere  regard. 
AdioSy  Senor  PresidentCj  y  que  le  vaya  muy  hien  /' 

'  AdioSj  pues  !'  replied  the  President.      *  Stay — 

keep  this  in  memory  of  your  friend  Jose  Manuel 

Balmaceda.      It  is  my  bribe  to  the  Corresponsal  of 

.  r^  the  Times  /'     And,  with  the  grace  of  which  he  was 

/       so   consummate  a  master,  he  handed  me  a  pretty 

I       fluorocco  letter-case  containing  his  portrait  and  auto- 

L^graph. 

I  That  was  my  last  interview  with   the   '  Bogie- 

1      man'  of  London  journalism — the  great  leader  who 
I     stood   between   the  Chilian  people  and  the  triple 
curse  of  a  bankrupt  oligarchy,  a  depraved  Papist 
clergy,  and  the  insatiable  greed  ofpanvenus  foreign 
nitrate  adventurers . 

From  Don  Claudio  Vicuna  and  his  senora  I  re- 
ceived the  most  cordial  wishes  for  a  pleasant  voyage, 
coupled  with  a  hospitable  invitation  to  return  to 
Chile  as  their  guest  as  soon  as  I  could,  and  view 
the  country  under  fairer  and  peaceful  auspices — an 
invitation  which,  seconded  by  the  charming  heroine 
of  the  Orsini  bombs  and  by  a  round-robin  from  her 
brothers,  it  seemed  well  worth  another  long  voyage 
to  accept.      But,  alas  !  we  none  of  us  then  foresaw 


I 

I     s 

I 


MY  THIRD  CRUISE  251 


the  dire  ruin  that  would  erelong  overwhelm  that 
happy  household. 

P  Poor  Colonel  Campos  mourned  over  me  as  over 
a  brother. 

ft  *  Don't  go,  Mauricio/  he  urged.  *  Tell  your 
gran  diario  que  vaya  al  diahlo !  Ask  the  Presi- 
dent for  a  commission,  and  see  the  thing  through.' 
But  this  thing  might  not  be,  though  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  making  the  gallant  fellow  understand 
ivhy. 

fc  Upon  the  26  th  I  left  Santiago  by  the  early 
mail  for  Valparaiso.  But  early  as  it  was,  my 
friend  Alfredo  Ovalle  V.  accompanied  me  to  the 
station,  to  see  me  off  and  to  bring  me  the  last 
adieux  of  his  family.  He  had  been  elected  senator 
in  the  new  Congress,  and  had  already  come  to  the 
front  as  an  ardent  advocate  of  constitutional  reform. 
Poor  fellow  !  the  mere  fact  of  having  accepted  the 
position  of  senator  was  destined  to  cost  him  dear, 

Jittle  as  either  of  us  suspected  it  then. 

P  I  looked  back  sadly  enough  from  the  car- window 
so  long  as  Santiago  remained  in  sight ;  for  I  was 
leaving  many  dear  friends  behind  me,  and  unac- 
countably gloomy  forebodings  took  possession  of 
me  as  to  how,  when,  and  where  I  should  see  any 
of  them  again. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


HOMEWARD-BOUND. 


How  I  missed  the  Liguria — A  Hot  Ten  Minutes — A  Friend  in 
Need — Travelling  made  Easy — A  Meeting — Concepcion — 
Coronel — I  catch  the  Liguria — The  Old  Story — Magellan 
Straits — A  Wreck — Monte  Video — Kio  de  Janeiro — Bahia — 
A  Negro  Polyglot — Pernambuco — Lisbon — The  Errazuriz — 
Plymouth — Home,  Sweet  Home  ! 

A  CLERK  at  the  office  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company  had  informed  me  that  the  Liguria 
would  sail  at  6  p.m.  Consequently,  after  farewells 
innumerable,  I  started  shortly  after  five  o'clock  in 
an  eight-oared  cutter  to  go  on  board.  The  steamer 
lay  about  two  miles  out,  so  that  there  was  ample 
time.  Scarcely,  however,  had  the  boat  left  the 
pier,  when  the  Liguria  fired  a  gun  and  steamed  off. 
I  stirred  my  boatmen  up  and  they  pulled  manfully, 
whilst  I  signalled  as  well  as  I  could  from  the  stern. 
At  first  we  appeared  to  gain,  though  she  showed 
no  intention  of  stopping.  Then  she  put  on  speed, 
and,  after  a  four-mile  race,  the  case  looked  hope- 
less. Still  there  remained  the  chance  that  her 
commander  would  understand  that  the  pursuing 
boat  must  contain  a  passenger,  and  that  he  would 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  253 

stop  to  pick  that  passenger  up  ;  and  to  lose  one's 
passage  was  a  serious  matter.  So  I  urged  my  crew 
to  persevere. 

*  Look,  senor  !'  cried  the  stroke,  suddenly  stop- 
ping, and  thereby  causing  the  others  to  stop  also. 

I  looked,  and  saw  the  familiar  white  puff,  followed 
by  a  splash  in  the  water  about  fifty  yards  ahead 
of  us.  One  of  the  forts  was  practising  upon 
us. 

'  Go  on  !'  I  said.  '  Those  chaps  couldn't  hit  a 
boat  of  this  size  in  six  months.' 

But  not  an  inch  would  they  budge.  I  expostu- 
lated, coaxed,  bribed  ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Then 
I  exhausted  my  fairly  copious  vocabulary  of  Spanish 
maledictions  upon  them,  my  at  no  time  very  angelic 
temper  rising  to  boiling-point  as  I  saw  the  Liguria 
placidly  steaming  ahead.  Still  they  would  not 
move.  Finally  I  resorted  to  very  strong  measures. 
Producing  my  revolver,  I  swore  by  all  the  saints  in 
the  calendar  that  I  would  empty  it  amongst  them 
if  they  any  longer  disobeyed  me.  Stroke,  not 
liking  the  look  of  the  weapon  a  few  feet  from  his 
head,  growled  out  a  sickly  '  Vamos,  pues  /'  and  we 
got  way  on  once  more.  A  very  lively  ten  minutes 
followed.  I  was  almost  certain  the  Liguria  had 
slowed  down,  and  '  coached  '  my  crew  vigorously, 
whilst  the  fort  tried  pot-shots  at  unpleasantly 
frequent  intervals.  At  last  the  men  finally  threw 
up  their  oars,  as  who  should  say,  '  Now  then,  senor, 
do  your  worst  !'     Of  course,  I  had  to  give  in,  and 


254  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

ordered  them  to  return  ashore.  So  soon  as  the 
boat's  head  went  round,  the  firing  ceased. 

I  landed  at  the  jetty  feeHng,  and  doubtless  look- 
ing, uncommonly  foolish.  All  my  luggage  was  on 
board  the  Liguria,  and  there  would  be  no  other 
mail-steamer  for  a  fortnight.  There  just  remained 
one  hope.  The  Liguria  would  call  at  Coronel, 
and  it  might  be  possible  by  taking  train  to  overtake 
her  there.  A  time-table  soon  dispelled  this  hope. 
She  would  be  off  again  before  to-morrow  night's 
train  could  arrive. 

^  Now,  although  the  agent  at  the  shipping-office 
stoutly  maintained  that  he  had  told  me  ^yq,  and 
not  six  o'clock  as  the  hour  for  sailing,  I  took  it 
into  my  head  that  I  had  purposely  been  left  behind 
as  a  sort  of  rap  over  the  knuckles  for  my  Balma- 
cedist  leanings.  I  know  not  what  suggested  the 
idea,  but  it  took  firm  root.  '  Rit  hien  qui  rit 
dernier,'  was  my  soliloquy  as  I  entered  the  Inten- 
dencia  and  sent  the  following  telegram  to  the 
President  : 

'  Liguria  has  sailed  without  me.  Can  you  detain 
her  at  Coronel  V 

In  ten  minutes  the  reply  came  back  : 

*  Most  certainly.  I  have  ordered  a  special  train 
to  bring  you  up  to  Santiago,  where  you  will  find 
my  own  travelling-car  awaiting  you  to   take  you  to 


t 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  255 

Talcuhano   or   Coronel,  as   you   may  prefer.      God 
preserve  you,  and  a  prosperous  voyage  ! 

*  Balmaceda.' 


So  matters  were  looking  up.  The  Liguria  had 
had  her  joke  ;  now  I  was  to  have  mine.  I  tele- 
graphed my  thanks  to  the  President  and  proceeded 
to  the  railway-station,  where  I  found  that  the 
station-master  had  already  ordered  an  engine  to 
get  steam  up.  In  half  an  hour  I  was  off,  en  grand 
seigneur. 

■  I  reached  Santiago  very  early  next  morning,  had 
a  bath  and  a  capital  breakfast  in  the  station- 
master's  house,  and  at  nine  o'clock  took  possession 
of  a  most  luxurious  saloon-car,  en  route  for  Talcu- 
hano, where  the  Liguria  was  to  be  detained.  All 
day  the  special  sped  along,  and  seldom  indeed  have 
I  travelled  so  enjoy  ably.  Everything  that  could 
be  desired  in  the  way  of  *  creature  comforts  '  had 
been  provided  most  liberally,  and  special  precautions 
had  been  taken  to  clear  the  line.  Several  times  we 
passed  passenger  and  freight  trains  respectfully 
drawn  up  upon  a  siding,  and  great  was  the  craning 
of  necks  from  carriage -windows  to  see  who  the 
distinguished  creature  might  be  that  was  thus 
delaying  the  traffic.  After  all,  methought,  there 
are  advantages  in  having  lived  near  the  rose.  At 
a  small  station,  the  name  of  which  I  forgot  to  note 
down,  we  were  stopped  by  signal,  and  had  to  shunt 
in    our    turn.       The    station-master   showed  me  a 


I 


256  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

telegram  from  Sefior  Domingo  Godoy  (who  had 
just  resigned  the  Premiership),  asking  him  to  stop 
me,,  as  he  wished  to  say  good-bye.  He  also 
was  travelling  special,  but  was  going  to  Santiago. 
He  shortly  arrived,  and  we  lunched  together, 
finally  departing  upon  our  respective  routes  with 
mutual  good  wishes.  Later  on  we  were  stopped 
again.  This  time  a  telegram  from  Talcuhano, 
stating  that  the  sea  was  too  rough  to  communicate 
by  boat  with  the  Liguria^  which  had  been  permitted 
to  go  on  to  Coronel,  to  which  port  I  must  also 
proceed. 

At  the  town  of  Concepcion  I  was  met  by  the 
Intendente,  Senor  San  Fuentes,  whose  guest  I 
remained  for  the  night.  Next  morning  I  was 
present  at  an  inspection  of  the  garrison,  numbering 
5,000  men,  and  was  especially  pleased  with  the 
spruce  appearance  of  three  batteries  of  horse- 
artillery.  Senor  San  Fuentes  (a  nephew,  I  learnt, 
of  the  Congress  bugbear)  and  a  large  party  of 
officers  accompanied  me  to  Coronel.  On  the  way 
we  passed  over  a  splendid  iron  bridge,  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  in  length,  which  spans  the  river  Bio  Bio. 

'  This,'  said  the  Intendente,  ^  is  another  of  the 
tyrant  Balmaceda's  undertakings.' 

A  grand  piece  of  engineering,  truly  ! 

At  Coronel  there  was  the  Liguria  right  enough. 

Many   of  the   passengers  had   come   ashore   upon 

\  learning  that  she  would  have  to  await  the  arrival 

of  the  special  train,  and  it  was  proposed  to  make 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  257 


an  excursion  to  Lota  to  see  the  locally-famous 
gardens  there.  But  some  of  the  ship's  officers 
objected  to  any  further  delay,  alleging  that  the 
captain  was  alread}^  chafing  under  the  detention. 

*•  There  is  plenty  of  time,  gentlemen,'  said  Senor 
San  Fuentes  grimly.  '  I  have  not  done  with  the 
Liguria  yet/ 

The  gardens  are  pretty,  but  somewhat  too  much 
in  the  Rosherville  style  for  my  taste.  Indeed,  the 
pavilions,  ornamental  work,  etc.,  are  tawdry  to 
the  last  degree.  Lota  by  no  means  justifies  its 
fame. 

Upon  boarding  the  Liguria,  the  captain  was  in 
a  state  of  hardly-suppressed  fume.  The  Inten- 
dente  had  got  hold  of  some  report  that  the  ship 

»was  taking  a  consignment  of  jerked  beef  for  tran- 
shipment to  a  rebel  vessel  in  the  Straits.  The 
captain  protested  that  it  was  destined  for  Monte 
ideo  ;  and  finally,  over  a  judiciously  produced 
bottle  of  champagne,  Sefior  San  Fuentes  accepted 
the  skipper's  solemn  assurance  and  allowed  the  ship 
to  depart. 

I  was  not  exactly  a  pet  on  board  for  the  first  few 
ours,  especially  as  I  could  not  refrain  from  crowing 
mildly  at  having  all  the  best  of  the  deal.  But  all 
that  soon  passed  over.  Captain  Hamilton  turned 
out  to  be  a  ca]Dital  fellow  ;  and  as  for  the  purser, 
he  was  simply  a  paragon,  and  a  model  for  all 
others. 

We   had   quite  a    diplomatic  crowd   on   board : 


*58  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

Seiior  Salinas,  late  Intendente  of  Tarapac^,  and 
now  bound  upgn  some  complicated  financial  mission 
s^.^  to  Paris  and  Berlin  ;  a  young  gentleman  named 
Poirier,  who  was  bound  for  Mexico  as  nothing  less 
than  Chilian  Minister  to  that  republic  ;  ^Senor 
i^  AstaBorruaga,  who  was  being  sent  to  combat  the 
/wily  Senor  Pedro  Montt  in  New  York — besides 
a  dozen  or  so  more,  secretaries  to  legations  and 
diplomatic  stop-gaps,  bound  for  I  forget  how  many 
different  places.  The  strangest  thing  was  that, 
of  the  lot,  only  Poirier  and  Borruaga  spoke 
English,  or  indeed  any  other  language  than  Spanish. 
What  imaginable  use  such  monolinguists  could 
possibly  be  in  foreign  legations  was  a  problem  I 
abandoned  as  insoluble.  However,  they  were  a 
very  pleasant  set,  upon  the  whole. 

Magellan  Straits,  which  we  entered  upon  July  2nd, 
are  seen  at  about  their  best  at  this  time  of  the 
year,  when  winter  has  fairly  set  in.  Our  first  views 
were  decidedly  the  prettiest,  and,  sui  generis,  it 
would  be  hard  to  conceive  aught  lovelier.  The 
weather  was  bright,  clear,  and  frosty  ;  the  water 
smooth  as  glass.  Upon  either  side,  as  we  glided 
swiftly  along,  were  densely -timbered  black-green 
forests,  extending  often  down  to  the  very  water's 
edge.  ^Behind  rose  tier  upon  tier  of  mountains 
covered  with  snow  of  dazzling  whiteness,  and  set, 
as  it  were,  with  glaciers  which  reflected  the  rays 
of  the  sun  like  so  many  huge  clusters  of  diamonds. 
The  foreground  of  blue  water  and  the  background 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  259 

of  blue  sky  (I  hope  the  terms  are  correctly  appHed 
• — they  read  oddly)  completed  Nature's  masterpiece 
of  winter  landscape.  I  wondered  if  any  painter 
would  have  the  hardihood  to  tackle  the  Straits 
enery  between  Cape  Pillar  and  Punta  Arenas 
pon  a  clear  day  in  July.  ' 

At  Punta  Arenas  (Sandy  Point)  some  mails 
ere  landed,  and  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  in- 
aded  the  ship  with  very  ill-smelling  guanaco-skins 
br  sale,  which  were  freely  purchased,  and  subse- 
uently  as  freely  thrown  overboard.  ^  I  secured 
ome  pretty  nuggets,  proof  positive  of  the  auriferous 
haracter  of  the  district. 

East  of  Sandy  Point  the  scenery  falls  off  greatly, 
he  timber  becomes  scantier,  the  foreground  flat 
nd  sandy,  and  the  back-lying  hills  smaller.  Still, 
he  snowy  coating  lends  beauty  to  what  in  the 
ummer  time  must  be  a  sufficiently  dreary  prospect. 
As  we  neared  Cape  Virgins,  the  funnels  of  a 
teamer  were  seen  upon  the  Atlantic  side  of  the 
ow-lying  portion  of  the  promontory  in  such  close 
roximity  to  the  shore  as  to  induce  Captain 
Hamilton  to  believe  that  she  must  have  grounded. 
He  accordingly  bore  down  to  render  assistance. 
Upon  nearer  approach,  groups  of  persons  were 
discerned  upon  the  snow-covered  slopes,  and  the 
flames  of  huge  bonfires  gleamed  brightly  even  in 
|bhe  sunlight.  The  German  ensign,  reversed,  had 
been  hoisted  upon  the  top  of  a  lighthouse  at  the 
extremity   of   the    promontory,  and   vast  piles   of 


L 


26o  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

cargo  were  stacked  upon  the  shore.  Clearly  a 
shipwreck,  and  clearly  also  these  people  must  be 
taken  off.  The  Liguria  hove  to  as  close  to  land 
as  possible,  and  the  chief  mate  put  off,  I  accompany- 
ing him  to  interpret.  We  soon  learnt  that  the 
vessel  was  the  Cleopatra,  owned  by  a  Hamburg 
company,  that  she  had  struck  on  a  sunken  rock 
unmarked  in  the  chart  the  previous  day,  and  that 
she  had  been  run  aground  to  save  her  from  founder- 
ing in  deep  water.  But  assistance  they  would  not 
accept,  either  in  the  form  of  rescue  for  themselves 
or  salvage  for  the  cargo.  They  had,  they  said, 
communicated  with  Punta  Arenas  by  means  of 
a  cutter,  and  would  await  the  arrival  of  aid  from 
that  port.  No  women  were  to  be  seen,  but  it  was 
evident  that  many  of  the  people  were  passengers. 
There  accordingly  remained  nothing  to  be  done 
but  pull  back  to  the  Liguria,  which  at  once  pro- 
ceeded on  her  voyage.  Upon  rounding  the  Cape 
we  got  a  full  view  of  the  Cleopatra,  which  was 
breaking  up  very  fast,  and  the  sea  for  a  consider- 
able distance  was  littered  with  wreckage  and  cargo. 
Captain  Hamilton  stated  that  most  of  it  would 
drift  back  ashore  at  the  next  flood-tide,  and  would 
probably  afford  some  nice  pickings  for  the  native 
inhabitants. 

The  Liguria  reached  Monte  Video  upon  July  8 
after  a  smooth  and  eventless  run.  Here  we  had 
the  best  part  of  a  day  to  stretch  our  limbs  ashore 
and  look   up  old    friends.       With    my  usual  fatal 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  261 

_  ^^  ^ 

kcility  for  dry  nursing,  I  took  one  of  the  Secretaries 
o  Legation  under  my  wing,  and  had  been  in  the 
ociety  of  the  friends  aforesaid  to  the  very  last 
moment  consistent  with  catching  the  ship's  tender, 
when  my  protege  took  it  into  his  head  to  fall  down 
in  a  fit.  At  first  we  all  thought  he  was  dead, 
and  sent  messengers  ofip  for  a  doctor  and  an  under- 
taker. They  arrived  together.  The  medico  said  the 
patient  would  perhaps  come  round  by-and-by,  and 

pinsisted  on  his  removal  to  the  hospital.  But  this 
I  would  not  hear  of  \  Dead  or  aliv^e,  that  secretary 

fcwas  the  property  of  the  Chilian  Government,  and 
must   be  restored  to  his   superior   on  board  ship./ 

\  The  undertaker  broadly  protested  that  the  fellow 

I  was  as  dead  as  Pharaoh,  nor  do  I  doubt  that 
he  would  forthwith  have  proceeded  to  bury  him, 
but  for  the  doctor's  hesitation  to  pronounce  life 
extinct. 
Time  was  pressing,  so  I  cut  the  matter  short  by 
requesting  the  man  of  coffins  to  send  four  of  his 
^  men  with  a  stretcher  to  carry  the  patient  down 
pto  the  wharf  This  was  accordingly  done,  and 
having  with  great  difficulty  and  at  a  cost  of  £6 
secured  a  steam-launch,  I  finally  deposited  my 
hapless  charge  on  board  just  as  the  ship  was  about 
to  start  without  us.  Whatever  the  fit  was,  it  was 
a  bad  one.  /The  poor  fellow  did  not  recover  con- 
sciousness for  nearly  eighteen  hoursj 

Nothing  of  the  smallest  interest  occurred  during 
the  run  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  we  arrived  upon 


I 


262  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


the  12th.  Here,  although  we  had  but  a  few  hours 
to  stay,  everyone  made  it  a  point  to  go  ashore, 
as  passengers  always  do,  to  wander  about  the  very 
uninteresting  and  unsavoury  streets  of  the  Brazilian 
capital.  I  took  my  party  (no  more  secretaries ; 
ladies  this  time)  to  Carson's  Hotel,  where,  knowing 
the  '  son  of  the  house,'  we  fared  sumptuously. 
V  From  the  Chilian  consulate  came  the  news  that 
the  Errazuriz  was  at  last  clear  of  French  ports 
and  on  her  way,  to  be  followed  immediately  by  the 
Pinto.  This  threw  the  diplomats  into  a  frenzy  of 
excitement,  and  when  we  returned  on  board,  how 
the  corks  popped  and  the  vin  d'honneur  flowed  in 
celebration  of  the  glad  tidings  !  Vgut  I  placed  no 
reliance  upon  a  wicked  rumour  current  next  morn- 
ing, that  more  than  one  ambassador  mistook  the 
floor  for  his  bunk,  and  finished  the  night  under 
the  table. 

\  Bahia  was  reached  upon  the  1 6  th.  This  time  I 
made  a  solitary  expedition,  and  can  confidently 
recommend  the  Hotel  de^  Etrangers,  situated  a 
couple  of  miles  out  of  town,  for  an  excellent  break- 
fast, and  the  very  funniest  waiter  I  ever  met.  For 
facial  expression,  for  repartee,  and  for  powers  of 
mimicry,  I  doubt  if  his  equal  exists.  His  very 
colour  was  unique  ;  the  most  highly-polished  ebony 
could  scarce  vie  with  it. 

I  gave  my  order  in  Spanish,  my  Portuguese 
being  of  the  weakest.  He  replied  in  such  good 
Castilian  that  I  concluded  he  must  know  something 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  263 


of  Cuba,  and  spoke  to  him  of  Havannah.      He  had 

—never  been  there. 

W     *  Surely,'    I    said    in     Enghsh,     '  you    are     not 
American  V 

P  *  No,  sir,'  he  repHed,  in  the  same  tongue  and 
without  a  trace  of  foreign  accent ;  *  I'm  a  German.' 
/To  hear  a  full-blooded  negro  lay  claim  to  Teu- 
tonic origin  was  somewhat  startling,  and  I  pro- 
ceeded to  expose  the  imposture  ;  but  I  couldn't. 
He  spoke  German  like  a  Berliner — very  much 
better  than  I  did.  The  intense  enjoyment  de- 
picted on  his  sable  visage  at  my  evident  bewilder- 
ment amused  me  vastly.  It  said  plainly  :  *  Try  a 
few  more  languages,  and  see  who  will  give  in  first.' 
I  ordered  an  omelette,  and  weighed  the  chances. 
Just  then  he  passed  me,  as  I  supposed,  on  his  way 
to  the  kitchen,  throwing  and  catching  three  eggs 
juggler  fashion.  By  some  mischance  he  missed  one, 
and,  trying  to  save  it,  missed  also  the  next.  Both 
fell  shattered  upon  the  floor.  He  stood  looking  so 
comically  at  the  debris  that  I  laughed  aloud,  to  his 
evident  satisfaction. 

\  '  Comma  je  suis  maladroit  1'  he  chanted,  in  exact 
imitation  of  the  refrain  of  one  of  M.  Paulus'  cafe- 
concert  songs.  *  Mais,  apres  tout,  monsieur  sait 
tres-bien  que  ^pour  faire  des  omelettes  il  faut  hien 
casser  des  ceufs  /'  And  away  he  ran  for  more  eggs. 
I  could  not  leave  the  mystery  of  this  dark-hued 
polyglot  unsolved,  and  asked  him  to  explain.  He 
did  so  in  English. 


L 


264  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

*  You  see,  sir,  none  of  us  remember  our  parentage 
from  the  start,  v^y  earliest  recollections  are  of 
Natal,  and  the  only  father  and  mother  I  ever  knew 
were  Germans.  I  suspect  they  adopted  me  as  a 
baby  ;  but,  anyhow,  they  were  good  parents  to  me, 
and  I  was  a  son  to  them.  Y  The  old  man  had  been 
a  professor  of  languages,  and  so,  what  with  what  he 
taught  me  and  knocking  round  the  world  a  bit,  I 
can  tackle  most  of  them ;  and  whilst  you  are  having 
your  coffee,  I'll  show  you  the  sort  of  people  I  some- 
times wait  upon  here.'  And  this  original  genius 
kept  me  in  roars  of  laughter  at  a  series  of  vocal 
impersonations  which  McCabe  himself  could  not 
have  surpassed.  /And  this  phenomenal  ^  darkie ' 
was  content  to  grin  his  way  through  life  as  a  waiter 
in  a  Bahia  hotel !  Truly,  'tis  a  strange  world,  my 
masters  ! 

From  him  I  purchased  a  raonkey  and  _£iur 
parrots,  and  took  them  on  board.  I  had  this 
menagerie  on  my  hands  until  I  reached  London, 
when  I  gave  away  the  lot.  Memo  for  travellers  : 
/  never  be  seduced  into  adding  birds,  beasts,  or  fishes 
to  your  impedimenta.  /They  are  infinitely  (the 
word  is  all  too  weak)  more  trouble  than  they  are 
worth. 

Between  Bahia  and  Pernambuco  I  find  but  one 

entry  in  my  diary  :  ^  B still  on  high  horse,  and 

carrying  on  with  the  Cub.'  y  Taxing  my  memory,  I 
recall  that  B was  our  most  charming  lady- 
passenger,  and  that  the  ^  Cub  '  was  fifteen  years  my 


I 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  265 

junior,   and   (what   women    call)    good-looking.      I 
must  have  been  jealous  when  I  wrote  that  memo. 

My  diary  further  informs  me  that '  the  Liguria 
arrived  at  Pernambuco  upon  the  18  th.  Some  of 
our  crowd  went  ashore.  I,  knowing  the  hole, 
refrained.' 

July  28th  found  us  at  Lisbon,  where  quarantine*^ 
regulations  absolutely  prohibited  any  shore-going  ;,^ 
but  the  presence  of  the  _Erraz2iT-iz  evoked  fresh 
bursts  of  Chilian  enthusiasm.  Some  officers  came 
off  from  the  cruiser,  but,  carefully  watched  by 
Portuguese  launches,  could  not  come  on  board ; 
conversation  was  consequently  carried  on  at  a  disad- 
vantage. It  appeared  that  the  poor  Errazuriz  had  ^ 
been  knocking  about  Europe,  trying  in  vain  to  pick 
up  a  working  crew  of  engineers  and  stokers,  espe- 
cially the  latter.  France,  England,  Germany,  Spain, 
ind  Portugal  had  successively  blocked  her  at  all 
ports.  All  our  diplomats  volunteered  round  abuse 
of  the  said  Governments,  but  that  did  not  carry 
counsel.  Then  I  was  appealed  to,  and  I  tendered 
cynical  advice  : 

1'  You  will  never  get  your  stokers  here.  Go 
round  to  one  of  the  Morocco  or  West  African  ports 
and  hire  a  hundred  niggers  ;  they  may  last  long 
enough  to  see  you  through.  If  not,  try  St. 
Vincent  ;  and  if  that  fails,  stoke  yourselves.' 

Captain  Hamilton  did  not  hesitate  to  characterize 
this  counsel  as  'barbarous.'  I  think  he  was  right, 
and,  were  I  not  a  slave  to  truth,  would  not  publish 


1 


cMy? 


266  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

it  ;  but  somehow  my  sympathies  were  all  with  the 
President,  who  had  all  Europe  against  him.  I 
advised  the  course  which  /  would  have  pursued  had 
I  been  commander  of  the  Errazuriz, 

I  did  not  land  at  Bordeaux,  where  many  of  our 
passengers  left  us,  because  Captain  Hamilton 
courteously  consented  to  call  at  Plymouth.  There 
we  arrived  upon  August  1st,  and  I  bade  farewell  to 
the  good  ship  Liguria.  \VHow  is  it,  by  the  way, 
that  one  feels  regret  at  quitting  one's  late  ocean 
home,  instead  of  feeling  unmitigated  joy  at  the  pros- 
pect of  terra  Jirma  once  more?  Is  it  some  ill-defined 
feeling  of  gratitude  towards  the  gallant  vessel 
which  has  borne  us  so  speedily  and  so  safely  across 
the  wilderness  of  waters  ?  I  think  it  isT/  Anyhow, 
I  believe  that  most  persons  feel  this  regret.  Cer- 
tainly in  my  case  there  was  superadded  the  sorrow 
of  saying  '  good-bye '  to  genial  Captain  Hamilton, 
Mr.  Phillips,  the  paragon  of  pursers,  and  Dr. 
Boyce,  the  very  prince  of  physicians. 

Home,  sweet  home  !  Ay,  after  all,  there  is  no 
place  like  it.  To  feel  one's  foot  once  more  upon 
English  soil,  to  hear  around  one  the  sounds  of 
one's  native  tongue,  and  to  know  that,  within 
measurable  distance,  a  tankard  of  '  bitter '  is  to 
be  had  upon  demand  —  these  are  feelings  which 
must  have  been  floating  (in  a  converse  sense)  in 
Byron's  mind  when  he  penned  *  My  native  land, 
good-night  !' 

The  usual  rudeness^,  of  coursepat  jbhe  Custom- 


I 


HO. 


BOUND 


267 


house.  Nothing  will  ever  alter  that.  .Why  go 
through  the  farce  of  asking  ^  Have  you  anything 
to  declare  ?'  if,  upon  a  reply  in  the  negative, 
every  single  article  of  baggage  has  to  be  rum- 
maged at  the  caprice  of  a  person  called  Snooks, 
of  alcoholic  visage  ?  This  is  the  sort  of  gratuitous 
insult  which,  during  some  twenty  years  of  travel,  I 
have  never  been  subjected  to  outside  of  England. 
And  it  is  reserved  for  the  *  free  trade '  mother 
country  to  levy  a  duty  of  two  shillings  upon  a 
monkey  !     Home,  sweet  home  ! 


CHAPTEE  X. 

THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

*  Back  from  the  Grave ' — Smart  Paragraphing — News  from 
Chile — The  Gumming  Incident — The  Invasion — A  Close 
Shave — Barbosa  the  Eash — The  Battle  of  Colmo  or  Concon 
— The  Attack  upon  Vina  del  Mar — Strategy — The  Insurgent 
Army  receives  Accessions — Balmaceda  a  Bad  Strategist — 
The  Battle  of  Placilla — Kesults — Sauve  qui  pent — The  Lynch 
caught  Napping — A  *  Eevel  of  Fiends  ' — How  the  Triumph 
was  celebrated  in  Santiago — Balmaceda  vanishes — Senor 
Montt  and  the  Eump — *  Convey,  the  Wise  it  call ' — A 
Model  Correspondent — Balmaceda's  Alleged  Suicide — Pro- 
spects of  Future  Peace — The  Trouble  with  the  United  States 
— How  to  bring  about  a  Conservative  Eeaction — Con- 
clusion. 

It   must    be   confessed   that   I   did   not  arrive    in 

London   in    such    good    spirits    as   I   had    started 

upon  my  South  American  expedition  six  months 

before.       The     uncomfortable     feeling    of    a    coup 

manque   hung   over  me.      I  felt  that  I  had  been 

running  my  head  against  the  stone  wall  of  public 

opinion,    and    need    not    feel    surprised    if    a    few 

bruises   were   the    result.      Not    for    one    moment 

did    I    doubt    the   justice    of    the    conclusions    at 

which  I  had   arrived  and  which  I  had  advocated, 

but   it   is   distinctly  depressing   to  find   one's   self 

in  a  minority  of  one.     The  British  public  is  prone 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       269 


to  believe  in  the  existence  of  bloodthirsty  tyrants 
and  mei^esg ' despotsTandTTiad  unhesitatingly  ac- 
cepted Balmaceda  as~'an  almost  unuxamplcd-Gom- 
binatioiTofnBoiEE  Such  a  fii'sL-class  bugie-man  is, 
moreover,  always  a  godsend  to  the  smaller  fry 
of  the  press  which  follow  in  the  wake  of  their 
ponderous  contemporaries,  and  love  nothing  so 
d^Rrly  f^ff  t^  toRr  ^rpt  another  scrap  from  the 
corpse^ofa.  reputation.  A-nd  thus,  as  I  was  not 
prepared  to  add  to  the  already-published  list  of 
atrocities  which  had  done  such  yeoman's  service 
for  'extra-special  editions,'  but  was,  on  the  con- 
trary, quite  ready  to  give  the  lie  to  the  entire 
miserable  chronicle  of  lies,  I  found  myself,  from 
a  Chilian  news  point  of  view,  a  great  deal  worse 
than  useless. 

^From  my  landlady  I  received  a  greeting  almost 
orth    while    coming    back    for.       The    good    old 
creature  had  long  ago  given  me  up  for  lost.      It 
appeared  she  had  abandoned  her  Daily  Telegraph 
in  favour  of  the  Times,  in  order  to  get  some  news 
of  me. 
■     *  They  did   print  a  few  letters,  which   I   knew 
imust   be   from   you,'   she   told   me,  '  because   they 
Iwere  from  their  "  Special  Correspondent."     I  read 
every  word  of  them,  and  made  out  that  you  didn't 
think  much  of  them  revolution  chaps.      Then  you 
[wrote  that  you  were  going  upon  some  blowing-up 
)usiness,  and  that's  the  last  I  heard  of  you.      How- 
ever, thank  God,  you're  safe  back  again  ;  which  it 


2  70  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

did  ought  to  be  a  lesson  to  you  not  to  go  shoving 
yourself  again  into  foreign  folks'  throat-cutting. 
And  what's  more,  there's  been  very  hard  things 
said  about  you  in  'most  all  the  papers.  My  old 
man  he  reads  them  down  at  the  Workmen's  Club, 
and  he's  told  me  often  that  the  way  they  was 
abusing  you  was  something  awful.' 

'  Oh    yes,    Mrs.    W ,'  I    answered    her,    *  I 

know  all  about  that,  ^on  srp^,  the__Fleet  Street 
penny-a-liners  knew  far  more  about  the  merits  of 

J\\9^.    qnpstinn    ibnn    T    rlirl,  as  \yaft    b^^^-    TiaWRl^ATi- 

sidering  they  had  the  w1i€4p  nitrat£__iiiterest  to 
coach  them.' 

*  Yes,  sir,  I  suppose  so,'  assented  Mrs.  W ; 

'  though  I  don't  quite  see  the  use  of  sending  you 
all  that  way  to  find  out  things  that  were  already 
fixed  up,  as  a  body  may  say,  in  London.  But 
there's  one  bit  of  print  as  I  think  you  ought  to 
take  up.  My  old  man  cut  it  out  of  a  paper  called 
the  Haivk  (which  he'd  have  been  fined  had  they 
caught  him  at  it),  and  gave  it  to  me  to  keep.  I'll 
fetch  it  in  half  a  minute.' 

In  something   more  than  the  covenanted  time, 

Mrs.    W ■  reappeared  with  the   '  bit  of  print ' 

in  question.  It  was  from  the  Hawk  of  June  2nd, 
and  as  about  the  most  outrageously-worded  com- 
ment upon  the  action  of  an  absent  man  which  has 
ever  fallen  under  my  notice,  but  at  the  same  time, 
^  in  substance,  reproducing  the  yelp  of  many  publica- 
tions sui  generis,  I  quote  it  : 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  RE  VOL  UTION       2  7 1 

I  am  not  surprised  to  hear  that  Enghsh 
residents  in  Santiago  are  annoyed  at  the  sympathy 
shown  by  some  of  their  fellow-countrymen  for 
President  Balmaceda.  I  think  the  Times  corre- 
spondent has  a  good  deal  of  responsibility  in  that 
respect.  He  was  sent  out  there  specially  to  rep.ort 
on  the  state  of  affairs  ;  evidently  he  has  come 
under  Balmaceda's  spell,  for  his  telegrams  reacl 
very  much  as  if  he  was  ^'  nobbled,"  or  his  messages 
edited  in  Chile.  It  must  be  the  latter  ;  the  tyrant 
is  master  of  the  posts  and  telegraphs  ;  letters  are 
examined  by  his  minions,  and  if  they  contain  any- 
thing supposed  to  be  in  opposition  to  his  wishes 
are  suppressed.  The  Lisbon  correspondent  of  the 
Times  acts  as  a  very  wholesome  check  on  his 
Chilian  confrhre,  and  has  let  a  lot  of  light  into  the 
President's  doinofs,  and  the  reiofn  of  terror  which 
he  has  instituted.  The  wonder  is  that  Balmaceda 
has  not  been  assassinated  longf  aofo.  He  is  ex- 
tremely  careful  of  his  person  ;  his  mother,  I  believe, 
^oks  all  his  food  to  prevent  him  being  poisoned.' 
'  T  '  is  quite  right  in  feeling  no  surprise  at  thj 
annoyance  of  the  English  nitrate  agents  in  San- 
tiago^  TMs  furthermore  correct  in  saddling  the 
Ti^es  correspondent  with  ^  a  good  deal  of  responsi- 
bility inT^S^Hpespect/  And  he  was  sent  out  there 
specially  to  report  on  the  state  oF  affairs.  Hu~did 
so.  But  he  neither  '  fell  under  Balniacec[a*s  spell,' 
nor'^was  he  '  nobBleH,'  nor  were^JJ^^  telegrams 
iited  in   Chile  '  ;  they  correspond  verbatim  with 


272  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 


J   1 


hose  which  he  sent.  The  adoption  of  the  latter 
theory  is  clearly  a  '  hedge  '  (to  adopt  '  I's '  sport- 
ing phraseology)  against  the  libellous  '  nobbling  * 
suggestion.  The  light  let  into  the  President's 
doings  and  the  reign  of  terror  by  the  Lisbon 
correspondent  of  the  Times,  was  the  light  reflected 
from  the  news-factories  at  Buenos  Aires,  the  plan 
being  that  the  contents  of  the  Buenos  Aires 
journals  were  epitomized  and  telegraphed  on  to 
London  by  the  said  Lisbon  correspondent.  It  is 
truly  a  subject  for  wonder  that  Balmaceda  escaped 
assassination  ;  but  either  the  Orsini  bombs  sent 
out  were  defective,  or  unskilful  artistes  were  em- 
ployed. -^  Chilian  ladies  are  not  cooks.  The  Presi- 
I  dent  partook  of  the  same  dishes  as  the  other 
/  members  of  his  family  and  his  guests,  and,  more- 
/   over,  his  c/ie/was  a  very  good  one. 

'  Is  all  this,  by  the  way,  what  the  reading  public 
now  accepts  as  '  smart '  paragraphing  ?  To  stab 
a  brother  journalist,  absent,  and  therefore  incapable 
of  retort,  and  to  join  in  the  general  howl  against 
a  ruler  engaged  in  a  life-and-death  struggle  upon 
a  question  of  the  merits  of  which  the  paragraphist 
evidently  knew  no  more  than  did  the  mule  I  rode 
across  the  Cordillera — and  this  upon  the  testimony 
of  a  correspondent  at  Lisbon:  is  this  really  what 
the  race  for  sixpences  has  culminated  in  ?  Mais 
passons. 

Before  quitting  Chile  I  received  promises  from 
certain  of  my  friends  of  occasional  letters  to  keep 


I 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       273 


me  informed  of  subsequent  events.  In  London, 
moreover,  I  have  had  access  to  much  other  Chilian 
correspondence,  chiefly  favouring  the  revolutionary 
party.  And  over  and  above  these  sources  of  in- 
formation there  have,  of  course,  been  the  telegrams 
and  letters  published  in  the  press.  It  has  there- 
fore not  been  a  difficult  task  to  follow  the  struggle, 
at  least  in  its  main  incidents,  to  its  bloody  and 
temporary  conclusion.  The  first  letter  from  which 
I  shall  quote  extracts  was  written  at  Santiago 
under  date  July  14  th  : 

^  Since  your  departure,  several  events  of  im- 
portance have  occurred,  but  almost  all  of  them  sad 
in  their  results,  and  some  terribly  sinister  in  design, 
as,  indeed,  are  most  of  the  revolutionary  proceedings. 
^m-fpi'r>  r»apiffl1igfg  f^f  f^aritiago.  whosg^  namcs  are 
something  more  than  suspected,  entered  into  re- 
lations with  a  half-breed  (mestizo)  Englishman  of 
Valparaiso,  one  Kicardo  Gumming,  and  olfered~or 
sentjiim  $300,000  in  order  thatby  means  of 
treachery  and  dynamite  he  might  bringaBout~fee 

destru^ojx o£.JJoLQ_Im]oerial,  the   Lynchy  and   the 

Conc/e//.^^This— misorablo-^natic  Cunnning  got  - 
hold^  of  some  Austrians  and  Italians,  gave  them 
some  money,  and  finally  offered  them  $30,000  for 
each  vessel  blown  up  by  dynamite.  These  persons, 
acting  in  concert  with  one  Sepulveda,  who  had 
engaged  as  a  steward  in  the  Imperial^  managed  to 
get  aboard  and  to  stow  away  behind  the  bolster 
on  Sepulveda's  bunk  an  infernal  machine  containing 

18 


2  74  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

several  pounds'  weight  of  dynamite,  with  time-fuze 
and  everything  ready  to  set  it  off  in  the  ship's 
hold.  With  equal  success  they  contrived  to  get 
similar  infernal  machines  on  board  the  Condell 
and  Lynclij  supplemented  by  quantities  of  dynamite 
neatly  stowed  away  in  large  loaves  of  fresh  bread 
from  which  they  had  removed  the  crumb.  Bread 
thus  prepared  is,  it  seems,  known  as  "  Greek 
bread"  [pan  griego).  You  see  to  what  cowardly 
extremes  the  Chilian  revolutionists  resort.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  for  the  Republic  and  the  vessels, 
^  one  of  the  Italians  bribed  into  this  plot  betrayed 
his  accomplices  to  the  authorities,  who  discovered 
the  infernal  machines,  the  dynamite  loaves,  and 
the  other  appliances,  half  an  hour  before  the  time 
agreed  upon  for  the  explosions. 

'  The  chief  quartermaster  of  the  Imperial,  who 
also  belonged  to  the  conspiracy,  did  himself  justice 
and  hanged  himself  in  his  cabin.  Gumming,  an 
Austrian  named  Politio,  and  Sepulveda  (a  Ghilian), 
having  been  tried  and  convicted,  and  having  con- 
fessed their  guilt,  were  shot  the  day  before  yester- 
day in  Valparaiso,  for  the  trifling  offence  of  having 
attempted  to  blow  up  the  squadron  and  to  as- 
sassinate the  crews,  numbering  600  men,  who 
were  aboard. 

'  This  execution  was  worked  up  into  a  political 
scandal.  ''Several  members  of  the  corps  diplo- 
matique, headed  by  the  British  Minister,^  whom 
I    believe    you   know  (though  I    am    not    certain 


I 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       275 


whether  he  accompanied  them  personally),  requested 
and  obtained  an  interview  of  President  Balmaceda, 
in  order  to  intercede  for  the  life  of  Ricardo  Cum- 
■ming,  in  the  most  imperious  manner,  even  carrying 
Btheir  audacity  to  the  point  of  threatening  Balma- 
■ceda  with  the  personal  reprisals  he  might  have  to 
suffer   should  the   revolution  triumph.      The  Pre-    -^ 
sident  haughtily  refused  a  pardon,  observing  that 
the  fate  of  traitors  and  assassins  did  not  depend 
on  him,  and  that  mercy  in  such  a  case  would  be 
complicity  in  their  guilt.      He  added  that  he  was      ^ 
much    surprised   that    the    diplomatic    body   (four  1 

members  of  which  were  then  present)  should  come  ) 

to  intercede  only  for  Gumming,  who  was  a  gentle-        / 
man  and  rich,  and  not  also  for  the  others,  who  were       (/ 
poor   wretches   whose    very   names    they  did    not      //) 
know,  any  more  than  they  had  known  the  names        / 
of  the  crew  of  the  torpedo-boat  who  had  been  shot      / 
for  treason  committed  under  the  instigation  of  gold     / 
supplied    by   Santiago    capitalists.       For    none   of^ 
these  had  the  diplomatists  interceded,  and  yet  they 
now  did  so  for  an  Englishman,  Gumming,  the  head 
of  a  most  horrible  conspiracy.      That   as  for   the 
threats    of  personal    reprisals   made  to   a  Ghilian 
President,  whilst   he  was   amazed    to    hear    them 
uttered  by  a  diplomatic  Minister,  they  were  in  no 
possible  sense  a  sufficient  reason  to  make  him  fai] 

!in  his  duty,  for  that  as  President  of  Ghile  he  had. 
staked  both  his  life  and  his  fortune  ever  since  the 
1 7th  of  January,  when   the  revolution   broke   Qut. 


2  76  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

If  he  lost  both,  they  would  be  sacrificed  for  the 
Fatherland,  like  his  other  efforts  for  the  well-being 
of  the  country. 

'  Now,  what  do  you  think  of  foreign  diplomatists 
in  Chile  ?  And  what  would  the  Queen  of  England 
have  replied  to  a  foreign  Minister  in  a  similar  case? 
'  The  other  principal  event  has  been  an  engage- 
ment at  Vallenar  between  300  Government  troops 
with  a  somewhat  superior  revolutionary  force.  The 
result  was  a  total  rout  of  the  rebels,  who  lost  more 
than   half    their  nupiber  in   killed  and    wounded. 

This  happened  upon  the  9th  instant ' 

Of  other   letters   which   I    saw   at   this  time  I 
cannot  give  extracts,  as  they  were  not  addressed  to 
me.      Coming     from    revolutionary   sources,     they 
were  generally  fairly  moderate  in  tone  politically, 
and  spoke  of  the  final  outcome  of  the  struggle  as 
very  dubious,   the  chief    hope   of    the   insurgents 
being  in  the   superiority  of  their  leader  (Korner) 
and  of  their  rifles,  added  to  the  all-important  co- 
operation of  the  fleet. 
y^  A  Santiago  letter,  bearing  date  August  18  th,  is 
\f^  interesting   as   having  been  written  but  two  days 
I  \      before  the  revolutionary  troops  landed  at  Quinteros, 
I         and  as  showing  the  perfect  confidence  6f~theHjro- 
\  \     .vernment  Party  up  to  the  last  moment  in  its  own 
\\     strength.      It  is  addressed  to  myself 
^        * .   .   .  .   The_J2residency  of  Don  Claudio  Vicuna, 
yqur  good  friend  and  my  very  good  uncle,  is  now  a 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION        277 

fact,  nothing  being  wanted  save  the  formal  scrutiny        j 
by  the  Senate  upon  the  30th  instant.  ^ 

*  The  war,  although  showing  but  a  poor  prospect 
for  the  revolutionists,  is  not  over  yet.  They  talk 
very  big  about  a  forthcoming  disembarkation  of 
B  their  troops  and  of  a  great  battle,  but  I  believe 
these  are  all  "  Portuguese  yarns."  They  have 
contented  themselves  so  far  with  following  up 
their  dastardly  dynamite  campaign  like  so  many 
cowardly  Russian  Nihilists.  During  the  past  few 
days  they  have  made  repeated  attempts  to  blow 
up  several  bridges  in  the  south,  such  as  those  at 
Lontua,  Lircay,  Teno,  and  Putagan ;  and  they 
have  tried  dynamite  upon  the  San  Pedro  tunnel 
between  Santiago  and  Valparaiso.  But  all  this 
without  other  result  than  the  shooting  of  six  or 
eight  of  their  number,  which  will  probably  scare 
away  the  others. 

I'  To-day  the  Esmeralda  fired  eight  shots  upon 
Valparaiso,  but  at  a  distance  of  18,000  metres, 
more  or  less,  so  that  the  shots  fell  into  the  sea. 
Prom  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  they  were 
merely  some  signal,  or  that  the  ship  wished  to 
show  us  that  she  still  carries  guns. 

'  I  have  been  laid  up  with  neuralgia,  and  thus 
debarred  from  taking  part  in  the  hard-fought 
debates  in  Congress  upon  the  proposed  consti- 
I  tutional  reforms.  .  .  .' 
I  Judged  by  the  light  of  the  events  which 
I  immediately  followed,  this  letter  is  a  pitiful  illus- 


278  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

tration  of  overweening  confidence,  almost  apathy, 
upon  the  Government  side,  and  of  timely  energy 
^  upon    the    part    of   the    insurgents.    |^The    formal 
ratification  byjbh.e  Senate  of  Don  Claudio  Vicuna's 
election  never  came  off :  had  the  rebels  allowed  the 
yv^Oth  to  slip  by  without  taking  action,  the  Presi- 
dency during  the  next  five  years  would  have  been 
legally    and    definitively    settled.       The    dynamite 
attempts  were,  of  course,  made  to  cut  off  railway 
communication,    and    so    prevent    the     troops    in 
Santiago  from  supporting  those  in  Valparaiso,  or 
the    numerous     large    bodies     down     south     from 
helping   either.      The  shots  fired   from  the  Esme- 
ralda were  signals  to  let   revolutionary  partisans 
ashore  know  that  the  hour  for  the  final  struggle  was 
at  hand.      And  meanwhile  the  new  Congress  was 
tranquilly  discussing  constitutional  reform  !     What- 
a  sauve  qui  pent  scatter  those  debates  ended  in  a 
couple  of  days  later  ! 
j:^       The  accounts  of  the  short,  bloody,  and  decisive 
j         campaign   which    commenced    upon    August  20th 
I         do  not  materially  disagree,  but  whereas  the  revo- 
j         lutionists   attribute  their  victory   to    the   superior 
/         fighting  powers  of  their  men  and  to  the  skill  with 
/  which    they   were    led,    the    Balmacedists    unhesi- 

\  tatingly   attribute   their   defeat   to   the   repeating- 

I  rifles  with   which  most  of  their  foes  were  armed, 

\  and  to  the  deadly  havoc  wrought  in  their  ranks  at 
the  battle  of  Concon  by  the  fire  from  the  rebel 
war  ships.      That  both  sides   fought  desperately  is 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION      279 


P 

■  evidenced  by  the  fact  that,  out  of  rather  less  than 

■  2 M 0 0  combatants^  2,700  were  killed  and  4,800 

_  wounded. 

m  Early  upon  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  revo- 
lutionary transports,  twenty  in  number,  and  escorted 
by  the  Qochrane,  Esmeralda,  and  Magellanes,  sud- 
denly appeared  in  Quinteros  Bay,  distant,  as  I  have 
elsewhere  stated,  about  thirty  miles  by  sea  from 
Valparaiso  to  the  north.  The  Cochrane  remained 
at  Quinteros  to  cover  the  disembarkation  of  the 
troops,  whilst  the  other  two  war  ships  proceeded 
towards  Valparaiso  to  cut  off  the  Lynch  and  the 
Condell  should  they  attempt  to  leave  harbour. 
Being  a  foggj  morning,  two  small  Government  i 
torpedo-boats  which  were  out  upon  patrol  duty  did 
not  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the  war  ships  until, 
the  fog  lifting,  they  found  themselves  right  under 
the  Esmeralda  s  guns.  It  was  a  touch-and-go  \ 
affair  for  the  Aldea  and  Quale,  but  their  smallness 
and  speed  enabled  them  to  get  safely  back  into  port. 
Clearly  the  Condell,  the  Lynch,  and  these  small 
torpedo-boats  should  at  once,  at  all  hazards,  have 
been  let  loose  amongst  the  transports.  With  their 
high  speed,  they  stood  an  excellent  chance  of 
dodging  the  men-of-war ;  in  any  case,  it  was  not 
likely  that  all  four  would  be  sunk  without  inflicting 
serious  damage.  But  this  was  not  done^;  the  rebelsl- 
were  allowed  to  land  unmolested^  a  task  which  they 
had  accomplished  by  nightfall.      The  force  thus  dis- 


28o  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

1       800    Naval  Brio^ade  men,  three  batteries  of  field- 
I    ^artillery,  and  a  battery  of  twelve  Gatlings  of  the 
/       Gardner  model,  together  with  a  corps  of  engineers 
l\       — in  all  about    10,600   men.       By    this    time,    of 
7    ^   bourse,  the  Government  was  fully  informed  as  to 
I  the  situation,  and  decided  upon  opposing  the  over- 

l  land  march  of  the  rebels  at  a  place  called  Colmo, 

X^  twelve  miles  south  of  ^uinteros.  By  this  selection 
Balmaceda's  generals  secured  the  advantage  of  being 
enabled  to  take  up  a  strong  position  upon  high 
ground,  with  the  river  Aconcagua  running  between 
them  and  the  enemy.  Their  only  fear  was  lest  the 
insurgents  should  decline  to  attack  upon  such 
apparently  disadvantageous  terms.  If  they  should 
attack,  their  defeat  was  regarded  as  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. "^  The  Government  forces  numbered  8,000 
infantry,  950  cavalry,  with  twenty-two  field-guns, 
and  were  led,  in  two  divisions,  by  Generals  Barbosa 
and  Alzerreca,  between  whom  there  unfortunately 
existed  considerable  ill-feeling.  President  Balma- 
ceda  was  himself  nominally  Commander-in-chief,  but, 
not  being  a  soldier,  naturally,  subject  to  his  express 
orders,  left  everything  to  his  military  chiefs,  and 
had^  indeed,  not  yet  left  Santiago.   It  was  calculated 

""^  *  It  is  clear,  now  that  fuller  information  is  to  hand,  that 
both  Balmacedist  general  entirely  underrated  the  quality 
of  the  invading  troops.  Balmaceda's  distinct  orders  were 
not  to  fight  at  less  odds  than  three  to  two  (and  this  recalls 
vividly  to  my  mind  my  last  interview  with  him).  But  Barbosa's 
fiery  temper  outweighed  such  injunctions.  '  Cmialla !'  he 
exclaimed,  *  I  shall  sweep  them  into  the  sea !'  .6JUitfi_Con- 
gressional  account,  moreover,  describes  his  troops  as  *  scSircely 
8,000  tired,  hungry,  dispirited  men.' 


I 


I 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       281 

that,   when  defeated,  the  insurgents  would  neces-^ 
sarily  fall  back  upon  Quinteros,  where  they  would 
be    cut   to    pieces    before    they  could     re-embark.  -^ 
Additional    troops    were     upon     the     way    from      I 
Santiago.      The  beginning  of  the  end  appeared  to 
be  in  sight.  J 

But  in   these  calculations  two  fatal  errors  Ead    ^ 
been  made.      The  position  supposed  to  be  so  strong      \ 
was  within  easy  range  of  the  sea,  and  of  the  guns       I 
of  the   Esmeralda   and  Magellanes,     The  firmly-       I 
believed-in  superiority  of  the  Government  troops,       | 
man  for  man,  was  a  delusion  ;  the  insurgents  were 
better  trained,  better  armed,  better  led,  and  were     / 
animated  by  the  conviction  that  their  only  hope  of    / 
safety  lay  in  winning.      The  Aconcagua  was  their     ' 
Rubicon  ;  once  they  crossed  that,  they  must  do  or 
die.  ^ 

The  invaders  started  from  Quinteros  at  day- 
break, and  came  within  artillery  distance  of  the 
Government  forces  at  nine  o'clock.  ^They  were 
formed  in  three  brigades,  under  Colonels  Frias, 
Vergara,  and  Enrique  Cantos,  the  uncle  of  the  last- 
named,  also  a  Colonel  Cantos,  commanding-in-chief, 
assisted  by  the  Prussian  strategist.  Colonel  Korner.  ^ 
An  advanced  guard  of  Balmaceda's  force,  consisting  "  ; 
of  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  a  battery  of 
artillery,  occupied  some  rising  ground  just  beyond 
the  river  ;  whilst,  behind,  the  main  body  was  spread 
[over  a  line  nearly  four  miles  in  length.  ' 

At  11  a.m.  the  left  wing  of  the  insurgent  army 


DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 


commenced  the  battle  by  directing  a  heavy  can- 
nonade against  the  Government  advanced  guard, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  artillery  upon  both  sides 
was  hard  at  work.  Then  the  Esmeralda  and 
the  Magellanes  came  in  close  to  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  commenced  a  furious  cross-fire  upon  the 
advanced  guard,  also  with  deadly  effect.  The  latter 
small  force  stood  to  its  guns  and  its  ground  bravely 
for  two  hours,  and,  by  some  fatal  blundering  or 
difference  of  opinion  amongst  the  Balmacedist 
leaders,  was  left  unsupported.  Then  their  fire 
slackened  somewhat,  and  seeing  this,  Colonel 
Cantos  ordered  a  general  advance  to  storm  the 
position.  Through  the  icy  waters  of  the  Acon- 
cagua dashed  the  insurgents,  horse  and  foot,  and  up 
the  steep  ascent  they  charged  with  cries  of  '  Viva 
el  Congreso  P  under  cover  of  their  artillery  in  the 
rear  and  of  the  war  vessels'  cross-fire.  Reinforce- 
ments were  now  hurriedly  sent  forward  from 
Balmacedas  main  body,  and  a  terrible  struggle 
ensued.  It  was  a  case  of  '  Greek  meeting  Greek ' 
— of  Chilian  against  Chilian  ;  and  for  an  hour  the 
Balmacedists,  favoured  by  the  ground,  held  their 
own.  But  at  the  end  of  that  time  numbers,  backed 
by  artillery,  prevailed,  and  the  advanced  guard, 
reduced  to  a  few  hundred  men,  fell  back,  being 
compelled  to  abandon  their  guns,  which  the  vic- 
torious insurgents  at  once  turned  against  Balma- 
ceda's  main  body.  Had  the  Government  leaders 
now   responded    by   a   general   down-hill   advance, 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       283 


supported  by  tlieir  artillery,  it  is  probable  that  the 
Congressional  troops,  fatigued  by  their  late  attack, 
would  have  been  driven  pell-mell  into  the  river 
Aconcagua,  nor  could  the  insurgent  batteries  or 
war  ships  have  ventured  to  fire  when  once  hand-to- 
hand  fighting  commenced.  But,  instead  of  so 
doing,  the  President's  army  remained  entirely  upen 
the  defensive — the  very  worst  use  that  excitable 
Chilian  soldiers  can  possibly  be  put  to.  I  have\ 
over  and  over  again  heard  their  officers  declare  that 
one  Chilian  attacking  is  worth  two  defending  ;  and 
yet,  upon  this  occasion,  this  seemingly  recognised 
fact  was  wholly  ignored  by  those  very  leaders.^ 
Colonel  Cantos,  at  all  events,  profited  by  it,  and 
pressed  his  men  forward,  the  artillery  still  thunder- 
ing away  in  the  rear,  and  the  war  ships  dropping 
shell  after  shell  into  the  Government  position. 
After  two  more  hours'  fighting,  Balmaceda's  lines 
broke  and  retreated,  abandoning  eighteen  field-guns 
and  a  large  supply  of  ammunition  to  the  victors. 
Upwards  of.  2,500  Government  troops  were  left 
upon   the  field,  and  of  these  nearly  one -half  were 

P  *  The  Chilian  soldier  is  a  peculiarly-organized  fighting 
machine.  He  is  by  race  more  than  three  parts  Auracanian, 
than  which  no  more  indomitable  nation  ever  existed.  He  is 
pre-eminently  and  literally  bloodthirsty,  and  he  loves  to  see 
blood  flow  from  wounds  inflicted  by  his  own  hand.  He  uses 
the  rifle,  and  even  the  bayonet,  as  it  were,  under  protest,  and 
can  hardly  be  restrained,  when  at  close  quarters,  from  throw- 
ing down  his  fire-arms  and  hurling  himself  upon  the  foe  knife 
in  hand.  An  Englishman  attached  to  the  Ambulance  told  me 
that  after  the  battle  at  Pozo  al  Monte  scores  of  men  lay 
locked  in  the  death-grip,  their  knives  plunged  into  one  another's 
bodies. 


L 


284  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

killed.      The  slaughter   in   some  of  the  regiments 
was  terrific.      Thus  the  Temuco  regiment  lost  520 
men  out  of  600.       The  San  Fernando   regiment 
fared  even  worse,  losing  550  out  of  600.      These 
were  the  troops  which  so  long   defended  the  ad- 
vanced position,  and  it  will  be  confessed  that  they 
did  their   duty   well.      Colonel   Korner  himself,   a 
staff-officer  during  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  subse- 
quently declared  that  he  had  never  heard  of,  much 
lless  witnessed,  such  bloody  work  as  took  place  in 
Wiis    battle.        Besides    the    killed    and    wounded, 
/nearly  2,000  men  were  taken  prisoners,  and  these 
/   all  volunteered  or  were  impressed  into  the  insurgent 
J     army.      The   losses  upon   the  side   of  the   victors 
\     were    considerably  less,    1,100  men   being    placed 
liors  de  combat,  of  whom  360  w^e^TillectT     Such 
was  the  battle  of  Colmo  or  Concon. 

/^^  So  soon  as  news  of  the  disaster  reached  Santiago, 

/  the  President  made  strenuous  efforts  to  despatch 
reinforcements    to    Valparaiso,    and    ordered    the 

\     southern   garrisons   to   hasten   up   to   the   capital. 

'  But  now  were  seen  the  results  of  the  dynamite 
tactics  spoken  of  by  my  correspondent.  Acting  in 
consort  wdtli  the  invaders,  and  counting  the  time 
very  exactly,  the  revolutionary  emissaries  so 
wrecked  the  railway-lines  as  to  render  a  rapid 
despatch  of  troops  from  the  south  impossible,  and 
Balmaceda  had  practically  only  the  garrison  of 
Santiago  available.      This  force,  to  the  number  of 


L 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION      287 


I 


about  6,000  men,  was  sent  to  the  front,  he  himself 
announcing  his  intention  of  accompanying  the 
southern  reserves  to  Valparaiso,  and  of  command- 
ing in  person  at  the  inevitable  decisive  battle. 
Meanwhile  his  generals  were  bidden  to  act  entirely 
upon  the  defensive,  pending  his  arrival. 

Upon  August  22nd  the  revolutionary  army  made 
a  determined  attack  in  force  upon  Vina  del  Mar,  a 
watering-place  five  miles  east  of  Valparaiso.  This 
township  being~strongly  fortified,  and  possessing  an 
almost  impregnable  stronghold  known  as  Fort 
Callao,  the  Esmeralda  and  the  Cochrane  assisted 
in  the  bombardment.  But  here  the  Government 
artillery  more  than  held  its  own  ;  and  as  the  nature 
of  the  ground  did  not  favour  an  assault  with 
infantry,  the  Congressional  leaders  found  themselves 
compelled  to  retire.  This  was  claimed  as  a  victory 
by  the  Government,  and  inspired  renewed  hopes 
amongst  its  supporters.  The  President  thought 
so  highly  of  the  repulse  that,  over-sanguine  as 
ever,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  inform  the  world  that 
the  insurgents  had  got  themselves  into  a  trap  from 
which  escape  would  be  impossible.  And,  indeed, 
had  he  been  able  to  advance  his  reserves  rapidly 
from  Santiago,  and  act  in  consort  with  General 
Barbosa's  forces  from  Valparaiso,  the  situation  of 
the  invaders  would  have  been  extremely  critical. 
But  Colonel  Korner  knew  his  business  too  well  to  V 
be  thus  caught.  Upon  the  2  4th  he  fell  back  upon 
Sal  to,  about  fifteen  miles  eastward  of  Vina  del  Mar, 


2  88  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

where  there  is  a  wide  railway-bridge  spanning  an 
impassable  chasm.  This  bridge  was  cut,  and  thus 
rail- communication  was  effectually  cut  off  between 
Santiago  and  Valparaiso.  A  desperate  and  novel 
attempt  was  made  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the 
bridge  by  the  despatch  from  Llai-Llai  of  an  iron- 
clad train  bearing  artillerymen  and  Gatling  guns. 
But  the  artillery  of  the  insurgents  proved  too 
strong,  and  the  train  was  forced  to  retreat. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  failure  to 
capture  Vina  del  Mar  having  rendered  a  direct 
advance  upon  Valparaiso  impossible,  it  had  been 
decided  to  make  a  detour  and  to  attack  the  mari- 
time capital  from  the  back.  This  detour  involved 
a  march  nearly  due  east  as  far  as  jQiiilpue  (twenty- 
"^ve  miles),  a  south-easterly  slant  to  Las  Palmas 
(twelve  miles),  a_w.esterly  course  to  Placilla  (fifteen 
1  miles),  and  a  straight  march  north  upon  Valpa- 
raiso (seven  miles).  Quilpue  was  accordingly  occu-~ 
r^  pied  upon  the  25  th,  and  then  the  troops  rested 
\  all  day,  starting  at  midnight  for  Las  Palmas. 
This  is  a  superb  country~seat  belonging  to  Don 
Claudio  Vicuna,  the  President-elect ;  and,  as  may 
be  supposed,  it  suffered  pretty  severely  at  the  hands 
of  the  invaders.  The  extensive  stud-farm  was 
forthwith  converted  into  a  shambles.  Of  this 
stud-farm  poor  Don  Claudio  had  always  been 
especially  proud,  and  he  had  spared  no  expense  in 
securing  the  very  best  cattle  and  sheep  procurable 
in  England.       Alas !   prize    Herefords    and  costly 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       289 


merinos  were  ruthlessly  slaughtered,  and  when  even 
the  appetites  of  12,000  hungry  men  had  been 
satisfied,  the  butchery  was  continued  from  sheer 
spite.  One  report  which  has  reached  me  states 
that  the  chateau  itself  was  pillaged  and  burnt 
down ;  but  this  act  of  vandalism,  occupied  as  the 
house  was  by  the  revolutionary  leaders,  I  cannot 
bring  myself  to  believe. 

The  army  remained  at  Las  Palmas  all  day  uponC  » 
the  26th,  and  was  joined  by  400  cavalry  which  had  I 
deserted  from  the  GovernmentTand  coolly  informed  \ 
Colonel  Cantos  that  they  had  only  awaited  a  favour- 
able opportunity  for  murdering  their  commanding-  I 
officers  to  do  so.  A  nice  precedent,  truly,  for  a  I 
-Commander-in-chief  to  condone  !  j 

The  marches  were  all  made  at  night,  for  some~^ 
not  very  apparent  reason  ;  and  accordingly  at  mid- 
night the  troops  started  for  Placilla,  near  which 
they  encamped  upon  the  27  th,  upon  a  farm  known 
as  Las  Cadenas.     It  was  then  decided  to  attack  "^X 
the  Government  troops  next  day,  they  occupying        I 
a  strong  position  upon  the  heights  overlooking  the       / 
village  of  Placilla.      From  deserters  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  they  numbered  about  9^X100  men.      The      \ 
revolutionary  army  had  swollen  to  \%^^^  in  addi-       \ 
tion    to    the    enormous    advantage    given  by  the        1 
field-guns  captured  at  Colmo.  -  -"""^^ 

Meanwhile  the  President  had  mustered  about 
7,000  men,  with  three  batteries  of  field-guns,  but 
only  to  find  his  communication  by  rail  with  Valpa- 

19 


290  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

raisQ-idUt^  off.  Yet  additional  reinforcements  were 
coming  up  from  Concepcion,  and  if  he  could  get 
within  striking  distance  before  the  decisive  battle 
all  might  yet  be  well.  But  at  this  juncture  he  dis- 
played a  fatal  want  of  decision.  His  rail-communi- 
cation was  still  open  up  to  within  twenty-five  miles  of 
Valparaiso.  There  was  nothing  to  have  prevented 
him  from  making  a  detour,  as  the  revolutionary 
army  had  done,  and  debouching  upon  Vina  del  Mar, 
whence  his  road  to  Valparaiso  was  but  a  five-mile 
march.  And  he  had  had  four  clear  days  to  do 
this.  Yet  the  plan  seems  never  to  have  occurred 
to  him  or  to  his  advisers  ;  and  absolutely  nothing 
was  done.  The  Congressional  leaders  were  per- 
fectly well  aware  of  the  possibility  that  Balmaceda 
might  reach  Valparaiso  by  imitating  their  own 
tactics,  and  hence  resolved  to  attack  the  Govern- 
ment army  at  Placilla,  before  reinforcements  should 

Lve.  It  is  known  that  a  strong  difference  of 
opinion  existed  between  the  Balmacedist  generals, 
Barbosa  and  Alzerreca,  as  to  the  advisability  of 
accepting  battle  with  inferior  numbers  and  inferior 
artillery  ;  but  as  both,  together  jwith  nearly  their 
whole-staflfey-were^Jdlled,  the' merits  of  the  dispute 
will  probably  never  be  known.  Of  the  battle  itself, 
the  following  description,  from  the  pen  of  a  Congres- 
sional staff-officer,  is  the  best  which  I  have  seen  : 

*Long  before  daybreak  on  the  28  th,  the  first  and 
third  brigades  were  in  motion,  marching  in  the 
direction    of    Placilla.      \The    third    brigade    was 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       291 

posted  on   the   right   wing,  'the  first   on  the   lefti 
while    the    second    was    to     occupy     the     centre. 
Owing   to   the    undulating    ground,  the   first    and 
third  brigades  were  able  to  get  into  place  without 
being  perceived  by  the  enemy.      The  latter  were 
posted   on    high   ground   overlooking    the  Placilla 
plains,    occupying    two    miles    in    length.       Their 
artillery  was  massed  in  the  centre,  overlooking  tEe 
village,  with  infantry  posted  on  the  slopes  below 
in  front  of  the  artillery,  as  well  as  all   along  the 
heights.       On    their     extreme    right    was    posted 
another   battery   of  artillery.      The    cavalry    were 
well   out   of  sight   in  reserve.      This    arm    fatally 
neglected  their  duty  before  the  battle,  not  a  scout 
being    out    to    observe    the    enemy's     movements. 
^About  a  quarter-past  seven  the  enemy  opened  an 
artillery  fire  on  the  second  brigade,  who  were  ad- 
vancing across  the  plains,  having  been  the  last  to 
leave  the  camping-ground.      These  the  Government 
forces  mistook  for  the  leading  columns  of  the  Op- 
position army.      The  second  brigade,  however,  ad- 
vanced at  the  double,  and   quickly  got  into  their 
position  ;  the  right  and  left  wings  at  the  same  time 
advancing   and    opening   their   fire  on  the   enemy 
caused  the   fire  to   become   general,  and    at    half- 
past  seven  exactly  the  battle  began.      The  Iquique 
regiment  on  the  left,  ably  seconded   by  the  Con- 
stitution regiment,  were  the  first  to  show   in  the 
battle.      Step  by  step  they  could  be  plainly  seen 
ascending    the    hill,     driving    back    the    enemy's 


L 


V 


292  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

infantry,  and  getting  nearer  every  minute  to  the 
enemy's  artillery,  which  was  thundering  away  with- 
out ceasing  from  the  top  of  the  hill.  All  this  time 
the  right  wing  had  been  engaging  the  enemy's 
left,  and  soon  began  to  advance.  After  about  an 
hour  and  a  half's  fighting,  the  Government  left  was 
in  such  danger  that  the  guns  in  the  centre  were 
turned  round,  and  began  firing  at  the  Opposition 
right  wing,  which  was  already  outflanking  the 
enemy,  the  infantry  holding  the  Opposition  left 
wing  in  check.  At  this  period  of  the  battle  the 
Tarapac^  regiment  began  to  suffer  dreadfully  from 
the  effects  of  the  enemy's  artillery  fire,  which  had 
been  suddenly  turned  to  oppose  the  advance  of  the 
right.  To  their  aid  were  sent  the  Esmeralda  and 
Pisagua  regiments,  under  the  command  of  Korner, 
and,  by  making  a  long  detour,  they  completely 
turned  the  Government  left  flank,  and,  with  the 
Opposition  successful  on  their  own  left,  and  the 
steady  advance  of  the  second  brigade  in  the  centre, 
there  was  nothing  left  but  to  send  the  cavalry 
forward,  who,  climbing  up  the  steep  hills  by  the 
road  and  on  all  sides  of  the  heights,  came  unex- 
pectedly on  the  shaken  infantry  at  the  top,  and 
turned  their  defeat  into  utter  route,  cutting  off  the 
retreat  of  the  two  generals,  Alzerreca  and  Barbosa, 
who  were  both  killed,  the  latter  preferring  death 
surrender.  By  half-past  ten  the  battle  was 
over,  3,000  men  having  been  taken  prisoners. 
The   Government   besides   must    have    lost    1,000 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       293 

killed  and  about  1,500  wounded,  while  the  Opposi-^ 
tion  losses  are  put  down  at  400  killed  and  nearly  \ 
1,000   wounded.      The   battle  being  over,  the  vie-   ^ 

ptorious  troops  were  quickly  reorganized,  and  the 
army,  preceded  by  the  cavalry,  started  on  its  march 
to  Valparaiso,  a  distance  of  seven  miles  from  the 
battle-field.  All  resistance  being  now  at  an  end, 
there  only  remained  to  take  possession  of  the  town, 
which  was  accomplished  at  one  o'clock,  and  by  five 
o'clock  the  whole  army  were  in  peaceful  occupa- 
tion. Half  an  hour  later  the  Almirante  Cochrane 
anchored  in  the  bay  for  the  first  time  since  the 
outbreak  of  the  war.' 

Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  news  became  known  in  ^ 
Valparaiso  of  the  defeat  of  the  Government  troops,  / 
there  was  a  rush  of  leading  Balmacedists  to  place  I 
themselves  beyond  the  reach  of  Congressional  \ 
vengeance,  and  such  foreign  war  ships  as  happened  / 
to  be  in  port  were  invaded  by  eager  applicants  for  ^J 
safe  asylums.  \The  Americans  had  heretofore  stood  fHt 
well-nigh  alone  in  evincmg  sympathy  with  the  cause  .    I 

pof  the  President,  and  had  given  practical  proof  of 
this  sympathjLJ^yjrohibiting  the  despatch  of  arms 
to  Iquique  from  United  States  ports,  and  by  a  subse- 
quent determined  effort  to  capture  the  arms- freighted 
Itata.  They  had,  indeed,  been  almost  as  avowedly 
partisans  of  Balmacedp  ««  t.Hp  k^ntiah  war  ships 
had  been  of  Congress  ;  and  ha.d  thpy  b^pn  rp>prp>- 
sented;Jy^^anyother  living  man  than  Mr.  Patrick 
Egan,   as  Resident  Minister,  their  moral   support    p 


294  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

would  have  carried  far  more  weight  than  it  did. 
For  reasons  too  wp11  iTnown  t^ — nood  ropntitji]^ 
here^  this  ill-chosen  representative  has  for  many 
yeajs  iStQOfi_l^e;^nd  the  pale  of  British  society , 
and  the  mere  fact  of  his  being;-,  even  as  the  mouth-_ 
^ece  of  the  Washington  Govern Tnftnt^  npnn  the 
Presidential  side,  very  greatly  intensified  the 
British  feeling,  both  in  and  out  of  Chile,  against 
Balmaceda.  /  However,  the  United  States  cruiser 
BaMmore  was  recognised  by  the  fugitives  as  their 
safest  place  of  refuge,  and  thither  very  many  be- 
took themselves,  amongst  others  Captain  Fuentes 
of  the  Lynch i  which  had  been  mainly  instrumental 
in  sinking  the  Blanco  Encalada  upon  April  23rd. 
Knowing  that  their  lives  would  not  be  worth  one 
minute's  purchase  if  caught,  he  and  his  officers  had 
left  the  torpedera  moored  near  the  jetty,  with  a 
scratch  crew  of  twenty  men,  who  had  orders  to 
surrender  the  vessel  when  summoned  to  do  so. 
But  no  such  summons  came.  The  Congressional 
troops  no  sooner  saw  the  execrated  *  devil's  ship  ' 
than  they  opened  a  murderous  rifle-fire  upon  those 
on  deck.  The  unfortunate  crew  soon  realized  that 
they  were  doomed  men,  and  in  desperation  replied 
with  the  Catling  guns.  So  hot  was  the  fire  from 
shore,  however,  that  nothing  on  deck  could  live. 
Five  tried  to  escape  in  a  boat,  but  were  riddled 
almost  immediately.  Two  poor  wretches  swam 
for  their  lives,  but  foolishly  climbing  upon  the 
mooring-buoy,    were    promptly   '  potted.'     Finally, 


I 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       295 

all  were  killed  except  two,  who  hid  in  a  stoke-hole, 
and  contrived  to  swim  ashore  at  night.  The  other 
torpederaj  the-JJondellj  had  previously  put  to  sea, 
still  under  the  command  of  Captain  Moraga,  whilst 
the  Imperial  was  known  to  be  cruising  in  northern 
waters,  in  happy  ignorance  as  yet  of  recent  events. 
I  may  anticipate  so  far  as  to  state  that  both  vessels 
subsequently  surrendered  in  the  Peruvian  port  of 
Callao.  ^ 

After  many  hair-breadth  'scapes,  Don  Claudio    ] 
Vicuna,  the  President-elect ;  Senor  JuITo  BaiiadT^s    / 
Espinosa^  Prime  Minister  :  Senator  Alfredo  Ovalle  1 
V.  ;  Admiral  Viel,  Intendente  of  Santiago,  and  a  U 
few  other  leading"  supporters  of  the  late  (jrovern-  i] 
ment,  maciiaged  to  ^et  aboard  a  German^  man-of- 
war,  and  aithouo^h  the  Congressional  leaders  tried     | 
hard,  upon  various  pretexts,  to  get  hold  of  them, 
the   German  Admiral,  by  direct  command  of  the 
"Flnipf^rnr,  i^p.rf^mptorilv   refused   to   give   them   up.  .1 
The  editor  of  the   Valparaiso  Government   organ  V  \ 
and   several  others  were  less  fortunate,  for,   being 
caught,     they     were      summarily     shot,     without 
even   the  semblance  of  a   leo^al  trial.      My  friend  ^ 
Mr.    Lioewenstein,  also  a  Balmacedist  editor,  and 
English,  was   saved    by   his  nationality.       As   for    \ 
the  populace  of  Valparaiso,  it  vivad  and  cheered 
pthe  victors  just  as  it  had,  four  months  previously, 
vivad  and   cheered  the  destroyers  of  the  Blanco 
\Encalada.      Nay,    its   enthusiasm   was    now  morer 
■  genuine,  since  it  was  allowed  free  license  to  pillage  \ 


296  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

ythe  houses  of  known  Government  adherents.  The 
following  graphic  account  of  the  behaviour  of  the 
mob  eight  hours  after  Valparaiso  had  been  occupied 
by  the  revolutionary  troops,  taken  from  a  letter 
!  published  in  the  Times  upon  October  26th,  from  an 
j  enthusiastic  Congressional  adherent  in  Valparaiso, 
\  tells  its  own  tale.  And  this,  he  adds,  is  but  one 
\)f  the  ^  terrible  nights  '  which  ensued. 

*  Masses  of  lurid  smoke,  and  showers  of  sparks, 
and  tongues  of  flame  poured  upwards  into  the  still 
clear  sky.  Every  now  and  then,  across  the  open 
space  visible  to  us,  figures  rushed  wildly,  and  some- 
times fell,  as  we  heard  the  rattle  and  saw  rifles 
flashing  with  dire  suggestiveness.  Presently  the 
firemen's  bells  tinkled  along  the  street  leading  to 
the  square,  one  side  of  which  was  roaring  with 
eddying  flame  and  the  fall  of  roofs  and  timber. 
Then  the  cracking  of  shots  increased,  the  mob, 
which  was  bent  on  plunder,  actually  opening  fire 
on  the  engines  as  they  vainly  attempted  to  take 
up  their  positions.  Meanwhile,  by  the  flaring 
light  of  the  conflagrations,  shops  were  being  burst 
open  and  emptied  of  their  contents,  no  lock  or  pad- 
lock being  proof  against  the  riddling  with  rifle- 
bullets  to  which  they  were  subjected.  With  many 
of  the  rioters,  no  doubt,  plunder  was  the  main 
object,  but  a  large  proportion  of  those  engaged  in 
the  fiendish  mischief  of  these  nights  acted  in  a 
spirit  of  mere  reckless  devilry.  To  speak  of  the 
scenes  then  taking  place  as  "  a  revel  of  fiends  "  is 


m 
I 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       299 

no  exaggeration  of  language.     People  whose  houses 
were  situated  in  the  broader  streets,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  lanes  crowded  with  the  dens  of 
infamy,  describe  how  both  men  and  women  came 
out  from  these  haunts  in  the  more   open   spaces, 
and    as    they   danced    frantically    the     cueca,    the 
national    dance  to  which  the  lower-class   Chilians 
turn   by   a    sort   of   instinct   in   their    excitement, 
every   now   and    then    one   of   those    armed   with 
rifles  would  suddenly  raise  his  weapon,  and  as  a 
piece  of  mere  wanton  sport  shoot  down,  it  might 
be,  the  unfortunate  woman  who  was  gesticulating 
opposite  to  him,  or  perhaps  one  of  the  comrades 
who  was  accompanying  him  in  his  debauch.      It   ~1 
has    been    calculated    that    by    daybreak    on    the     / 
morning   after   the    decisive    battle    from    300    to 
400    corpses  were   strewed    about    the    streets   in    I 
the   main   body   of  the    town,    and    that    perhaps    / 
fifty  of  these  were  the  mangled  remains  of  women.*  J 

There  was  no  such  revelling  of  fiends  in  Balma-^ 
ceda's  time,  at  all  events. 

In  Santiago  the  news  of  the  total  rout  of  the      ^ 
Presidential  troops  was  received  with  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  —  never    during    Chilian    history    had 
such  an  opportunity  for  wholesale  plunder,  raping,        / 
and  destruction  presented  itself     Balmaceda's  dim-     ^ 
I  culty  as  to  what  he  should  do  with  his  men  was 
speedily  solved  by  the  men  themselves,  who,  throw- 
I  ing  discipline  to  the  winds,  joined  with  the  mob  in 
i  the  work  of   devastation.      The    police,   powerless 


I 
I 


300  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

against  the  revolted  soldiery,  either  joined  in  also 
or  threw  away  their  uniforms.  A  division  of 
Congressional  troops  speedily  arrived,  but,  so  long 
as  only  the  property  of  Balmacedists  was  being 
destroyed,  made  scarcely  a  pretence  of  restoring 
order.  The  houses  of  all  supporters  of  the  late 
Government,  from  those  of  the  President  and  of 
Don  Claudio  Vicuna  to  those  of  their  most  insig- 
nificant adherents,  were  wrecked,  and  in  many 
cases  burnt  to  the  ground. 

Balmaceda  disappeared.  In  vain  he  was  sought 
for,  hunted  for  ;  nowhere  could  he  be  discovered,  and 
the  belief  gained  ground  that  he  was  attempting  to 
cross  the  Cordillera  into  Argentine  territory.      In- 

Ldeed,  an  apparently  well -authenticated  report  stated 
that  he  had  been  shot  in  the  snow  in  an  altercation 
with  his  muleteer. 
^^  The  Congressional  leader,  Senor  Jorje  Montt,  at 
I  once  assumed  the  office  of  President,  the  Rump  of 
the  old  time-expired  Congress  forming  itself  pro- 
visionally into  the  legislative  body  known  as  the 
Junta^  or  Assembly.  It  was  announced  that  fresh 
general  elections  would  be  held  as  soon  as  possible, 
meaning,  of  course,  as  soon  as  the  Balmacedist 
governors,  intendentes,  and  other  officials  should 
be  replaced  by  Senor  Montt's  nominees.  And 
these  elections  were  to  be  quite  *  free.'  Of  course  ; 
as  free,  possibly,  as  they  had  been  at  the  last 
voting.  Certainly  not  more  so — probably  a  good 
deal  less. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION      301 

Then  began  the  game  of  confiscation.  By  what 
shadow  of  right  a  self-elected  '  President '  and  the 
tag-end  of  a  Congress,  whose  legal  existence  had 
expired  three  months  before,  proceeded  to  annex 
the  goods,  chattels,  and  bank  balances  of  their 
defeated  political  opponents  is  a  hopeless  and 
useless  question  to  inquire  into.  Whatever  can 
be  urged  in  justification  thereof  might  with  equal 
legal  weight  secure  a  general  amnesty  for  the 
inmates  of  Dartmoor.  They  had  not  even  prece- 
dent to  go  by,  since  the  late  Government  had 
carefully  refrained  from  injuring  or  stealing  the 
property  of  the  enormously  wealthy  Congressional 
partisans,  with  the  exception  of  certain  horses 
requisitioned  for  cavalry  and  artillery  purposes.  ^^ 
,/  Upon  September  18th  Balmaceda's  tenure  of  the 
Presidency  legally  expired,  and  upon  the  19th  the 
news  went  forth  that  he  had  shot  himself  in  the 
Argentine  Legation  at  Santiago.  At  this  period 
the  outside  world  was  almost  entirely  dependent 
upon  a  highly-imaginative  correspondent  of  the  Neiv 
York  Heixdd  for  its  Chilian  news,  and  he  certainly 
'  kept  the  pot  boiling.'  But  a  few  days  previously 
he  had  telegraphed  a  circumstantial*  description  of 
Balmaceda's  escape  to  a  foreign  man-of-war,  dis- 
guised as  a  drunken  sailor,  and  he  had  specially 
emphasized  the  histrionic  skill  displayed  by  the 
fugitive  President  on  the  occasion  ;  an  eye-witness 
could  not  have  been  more  exact.  The  suicide 
version   he   also   telegraphed    in   extenso,  together 


> 


J 


302  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

with  farewell  letters  alleged  to  have  been  written 
by  Balmaceda.  Subsequent  telegrams  confirmed 
the  intelligence  ;  but  the  body  would  seem  to  have 
been  buried  with  uncalled-for  secrecy  and  speed. 
By  the  time  this  book  is  published  the  exact  truth 
will  be  known,  but  upon  the  date  on  which  I  write 
these  lines  (October  26th)  I  confess  to  still  entertain- 
y-ijig  doubts  as  to  the  ex-President's  demise.    It  is  clear 

/  that  the  best  possible  way  of  checking  inquiry  and 
pursuit  would  be  by  announcing  the  hunted  man  s 
death  ;  and  it  is  clear  also  thatVno  indisputable 
evidence  of  his  death  has  as  yet  been  adduced. 
The  nearest  approach  to  such  evidence  is  contained 
in  a  letter  said  to  have  been  left  in  charge  of  Senor 
Uriburu,  the  Argentine  Minister,  and  of  which  the 
following  is  a  resume.  It  is  addressed  to  his  three 
brothers.  After  stating  that  his  term  of  office  was" 
ended  that  dav,  he  said  he  had  reviewed  the  whole 
affair,  and .  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  he 
would  be  no  longer  able  to  continue  in  his  asylum 

/  in  the  Argentine  Legation  without  compromising 
his  protector,  Senor  Uriburu.  He  expressed  the 
fear  that  his  enemies  were  about  to  bring  about  a 
tragedy  which  would  damage  the  Argentine  Lega- 
tion. He  disdained  making  any  further  attempt  to 
escape.  He  had  intended  to  give  himself  up,  but, 
owing  to  his  belief  that  the  insurgent  leaders  would 
respect  nothing,  he  had  altered  his  mind  and  would 
make  a  personal  sacrifice.  This  course  was  the 
onlv  one  left  him  to  lessen  the  misfortunes  of  his 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       303 

friends.      H^  had  written  letters  to  Senor  Claudio 
Vicuna,  Senor  Baiiados  Espinosa,  which  would  be 

^sent  in^charge  of  Senor  Uriburu,  and  had  asked 

"the  last-named  to  deliver  to  Senor  Eusebio  Lillo  for        j 
publication  a  document  which  would  prove  of  his-        1 

^  tonc3_valiifi.      *  Europe/  the  writer  proceeds,  *  will^^^~~^^2~— 
then  comprehend  my  conduct.     There  are  moments 
iiTone's  life  when  its  sacrifice  is  the  only  course  4eft 
to  a  gentleman  of  honour.      I  set  about  the  final    .- / 
act~of  my  career  with  a  calm  mind.    . My  death  may      '^'^\  y 
alleviate  the  rage  of  my  enemies  against  those  who 

"supported  me.  Watch  over  my  children.  I  have 
cliarged  Espinosa  t6~write  a  history  of  my  adminis- 
tration. I  never  told  Emila  that  his  wife  should 
lend  her  assistance  to  his  task.  The  distance  from 
this  world  to  the  other  is  less  than  we  imagine. 
We  shall  see  one  another  again,  when  we  shall  be 
without  the  grief  and  bitterness  which  now  sur- 
round us.  Watch  oyer__ouiLmother.  Befriend  our 
friends.' 

»0f  course  if  this  letter  (dated  September  1 8th)  be 
genuine,  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  intention  of 
suicide  implied  in  the  *  personal  sacrifice '  was 
carried  out ;  but  the  reference  to  the  late  ^rime 
Minister  as  *  Espinosa '  instead  of  as  *  Banados ' 
looks  more  like  the  work  of  a  foreign  than  of  a 
Chilian  hand."^      However,  time  will  tell. 

f     *  A  somewhat  curious  old  Spanish  custom  survives  in  Chile, " 

lof  adding  the  mother's  maiden  name  to  the  patronymic.     Thus 

the  name  of  the  Minister  in  question  is  JuffbrHBafi^iSos.     But 

his  mother's  family  name  being  Espinosa,  he  is  known  as  Julio 


304  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

The  outlying  garrisons  had,  of  course,  no  option 
/tut  to  place  themselves  at  the  disposal  of  the 
victorious  Congressional  authorities.  Such  of  the 
officers  as  could  made  their  escape  ;  the  rest  were 
thrown  into  prison,  for  the  crime,  apparently,  of 
having  remained  loyal  to  the  legally-established 
Government.  \One  unfortunate,  an .  especial  friend 
of  mine.  Colonel  Carvalho,  commanding  the  forces 
at  Coquimbo,  got  aboard  a  British  steamer  bound 
for  Callao  ;  but  at  Iquique,  where  the  vessel  called, 
an  armed  party  came  on  board  and  forcibly  removed 
him,  the  protection  of  the  Union  Jack  being  ap- 
parently reserved  for  rebels.  Needless  to  add  that 
the  splendid  army  at  Coquimbo  never  had  a  chance 
of  firing  a  shot,  and  the  regiments  stationed  there 
were  the  yery  flower  of  Balmaceda's  troops.. 

The  triumph  of  the  revolution  has  been  viewed 
in  Europe  as  a  guarantee  for  future  peace  and  pro- 
gress in  Chile,  and  Chilian  stocks  at  once  rose  from 
74  to  91.  Upon  what  this  hopeful  hypothesis  is 
based  I  do  not  know.  In  a  previous  chapter  I 
have  gone  at  some  length  into  the  condition  of 
political  parties  in  the  Republic,  and  to  that  chapter 
I  would  ask  the  reader  to  refer.  The  victory  of 
the  insurgents  means  the  victory  of  the  Clericals, 
the  aristocratic  (for  want  of  a  better  term)  Montt- 
VaristaSj  and   the   plutocrat   ConservadoreSj  aided 

Banados  Espinosa,  commonly  written  Julio  Banados  E. 
Where  but  one  name  is  employed  in  speaking  to  or  of  a  person, 
the  first  or  second  is  used — never  the  third. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       305 

by  dissatisfied  factions  of  the  Liberal  Party.  The 
object  striven  for  has  been  accompHshed.  Balma- 
ceda  has  fallen.  But  what  next  ?  Into  whose 
hands  is  the  administration  to  pass  ?  Who  are  to 
enjoy  the  loaves  and  fishes  of  office,  Liberals  or 
Conservatives  ?  The  acting  '  President '  is  Jorje  | 
Montt,  son  of  Manuel  Montt,  who  for  ten  years  i 
(1851-61)  governed  Chile  with  a  rod  of  iron  in 
conjunction  with  his  chosen  Prime  Minister,  Varas. 
In  his  day  also  a  revolution  was  attempted,  but  was 
crushed  with  pitiless  severity.  He  was  the  great 
apostle  of  government  of  the  masses  by  the  classes, 
and  his  political  descendants,  the  Montt- Yaristas, 
revere  his  policy.  \  It  may  be  possible  for  the  three 
sections  of  the  Conservative  Party  to  act  in  some 
sort  of  unison,  but  how  is  it  possible  for  the 
Liberals  to  bow  their  heads  to  the  Conservative  / 
yoke  ?  Now,  with  all  the  influence  which  the  ^ 
existing  position  of  Senor  Montt  as  acting  Presi- 
dent confers,  the  Conservatives  in  the  recently  held 
elections  have  secured  but  thirty-seven  seats  in  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  as  against  fifty-five  won  by 
the  Liberals,  whilst  in  the  Senate  the  Liberal  vote 
is  still  more  preponderating.  The  election  of  a 
new  President  has  not  yet  even  been  mooted,  but 
sooner  or  later  it  must  be  done.  Will  he  be  Con- 
servative  or  Liberal  ?  If  the  former,  how  can  he, 
with  a  Liberal  majority  in  Congress,  govern  upon 
Conservative  principles  without  overriding  the 
■Chamber,  as  Manuel  Montt  openly  did,  and  as 
l_  20 


3o6  DARK  DAYS  IN  CHILE 

Balmaceda  is  said  by  his  enemies  to  have  done  ? 

/^If  the  future  President  be  a  Liberal,  as  he  almost 

"^  certainly  will  be  unless  force  be  brought  to  bear 

\      upon  the  electors,  how  will  he  govern  in  the  teeth 

\     of  a  strong  Conservative  minority,  aided,  as  before, 

by  discontented  or  disappointed  Liberal  factions  ? 

The  man  does  not  live  who  could  reconcile  these 

factions,  simply  because  the  loaves  and  fishes  are 

not  numerous  enough  for  all,  and  the  '  outs  '  will  be 

rin  chronic  opposition  to  the  *  ins.'  Upon  this  rock 
of  attempted  unification  of  the  national  Liberal 
Party  Balmaceda  came  to  grief,  and  so,  assuredly, 
will  any  succeeding  President,  were  he  the  veriest 
miser  of  public  money,  who  shall  attempt  the  same 
task. 

For  a  short  time,  no  doubt,  the  newly-elected 
Congress  will  be  unanimous  enough  in  plundering 
Balmacedist  adherents  and  undoing  the  legislation 
of  Balmaceda's  last  Congress.  But  then  will  begin 
the  struggle  for  supremacy.  Quite  possibly  Senor 
Montt  will  prorogue  the  Chambers  until  June,  and 
so  have  a  free  hand  for  arranging  the  details  of  the 
inevitable  Presidential  election.  If  not,  the  contest 
will  commence  earlier  ;  that  is  all. 
^  As  I  write  these  concluding  lines,  there  would 
/  appear  to  be  a  possibility  of  serious  trouble  arising 
^  V  between  Chile  and  the  United  States.  At 
least  one  American  sailor,  Regan,  has  been  mur- 
dered, and  several  more  of  the  crew  of  the  Balti- 
more  savagely  assaulted  by  sailors   of  the  Chilian 


V  TI. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION       307 

fleet,  aided  and  abetted  by  the  Valparaiso  new 
police.  Moreover,  an  impression  prevails  that  the 
authorities  have  deliberately  connived  at  these 
attacks.  Why,  it  may  be  asked,  should  Senor 
Montt  and  his  advisers  expose  the  country,  still 
palpitating  from  the  effects  of  the  late  bloody  civil 
war,  to  the  danger  of  a  war  with  a  power  so  over- 
whelming as  the  United  States  ?  Well,  as  a  matter 
of  national  policy  it  would  be  ultimately  most 
disastrous  ;  but  as  a  matter  of  Conservative  policy 
it  would  temporarily  serve  a  turn,  especially  if  it  be 
done  quickly.  Senor  Montt,  and  the  Conservatives 
generally,  must  now  see  clearly  that,  although  they 
figure  so  prominently  as  leaders  of  the  revolution 
which  deposed  the  Liberal  leader,  Balmaceda,  the 
Chilian  people  is  ungrateful  enough  to  remain 
Liberal  when  it  comes  to  the  ballot-boxes.  They 
may,  furthermore,  be  credited  with  sufficient  judg- 
ment to  realize  that  their  only  chance  lies  in  regain- 
ing the  popular  affections  by  some  dashing  cowp. 
Now,  the  great  Chilian  national  idol  is  CaptainV 
Prat,  who  lost  his  wooden  ship,  the  Esmeralda,  his 
whole  crew,  and  his  own  life,  in  an  insane  attempt 
to  fight  the  Peruvian  ironclad  Huascar.  The 
Americans  are  just  now  absolutely  detested  in 
Chile,  and  any  statesman  bold  enough  to  defy  the 
American  squadron  would  bid  fair  to  depose  Prat 
in  the  popular  estimation.  Besides,  the  American 
ships  now  in  Chilian  waters  are  no  match  for  the 
Chilian  fleet.      The  Baltimore  and   San  Francisco 


J 


b 


3o8  DARK  DA  YS  IN  CHILE 

are  very  fine  cruisers,  but  they  are  not  ironclads. 
Two  smaller  American  war  ships  are  also  within 
hail.  But  the  Chilians  have  available  two  ironclads, 
three  first-class  cruisers,  five  well-armed  wooden 
corvettes,  two  torpedo-catchers  (my  old  friends,  the 
Lynch  and  Condell),  and  several  torpedo-boats.  As 
regards  fighting  qualities,  the  Chilians  have  given 
abundant  proofs  of  their  courage  ;  nor  was  I  much 
impressed  by  the  large  percentage  of  negroes  which 
I  saw  amongst  the  crew  of  the  Baltimore.  Finally, 
Chilians  cannot  be  expected  to  understand  Great 
Britain's  policy  in  dealing  with  great  Powers  ;  it  is 
commonly  understood  that  a  deadly  international 
feud  exists  between  England  and  the  United  States, 
and  the  wish  might  easily  father  the  thought  into 
believing  that  the  Warspite  would  be  dragged  into 
the  quarrel.  I  do  not  venture  to  hazard  a  conjec- 
ture as  to  how  the  difficulty  which  has  arisen  will 
be  settled.  Most  probably,  I  suppose,  an  apology 
will  be  made  and  an  indemnity  paid.  But  I  firmly 
believe  that,  were  the  soul  of  Napoleon  in  the  body 
of  Senor  Jorje  Montt,  a  popular  naval  war  would 
be  hazarded  as  the  only  possible  means  of  bringing 
about  a  Conservative  reaction. 

My  task,  such  as  it  has  been,  is  done.  I  have 
endeavoured  to  chronicle  a  dark  chapter  in  Chilian 
annals  by  the  light  of  such  individual  powers  of 
judgment  and  observation  as  I  possess.  Other 
pens  will  doubtless  treat  the  same  questions  from 


p 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  REVOLUTION      309 

entirely  different  aspects.  And  this  is  quite  in  the 
fitness  of  things.  My  chief  regret  is  that  I  cannot 
see  the  silver  lining  to  the  cloud  which  so  many 
others  have  seen  reflected  from  the  revolutionary 
bayonets.  My  chief  sorrow  is  that  so  many  persons'/ 
endeared  to  me  during  my  stay  in  Chile  are  dead 
or  in  exile. 


NOTE   ON  THE  CONSTITUTION   AND   POLITICAL 
PARTIES  OF  CHILE. 

The  Chilian  Constitution. 

{Extracts  bearing  upon  questions  at  issue  between  President  and 

Congress.) 

Article  I. — The   Government  of   Chile  is  popular-represen- 
tative. 

Aet.  XIII. — The  legislative  power  is  vested  in  the  national 
Congress,  composed  of  two  Chambers,  one  of  Deputies,  the 
other  of  Senators. 

Art.  XVIII. — The  Chamber  of  Deputies  is  composed  of 
members  elected  by  the  departments  by  direct  vote. 

Art.  XX. — The  Chamber  of  Deputies  shall  be  wholly  re- 
newed every  three  years. 

Art.  XXIV. — The  Senate  is  composed  of  members  elected 
by  direct  vote  of  the  provinces,  at  the  rate  of  one  senator  for 
every  three  deputies. 

Art.  XXVI. — Senators  shall  be  renewed  every  three  years ^ 
(with  certain  modifications). 

Art.  XXXVI. — The  functions  of  Congress  are  (principally) — 
To  approve  or  reject  annually  the  Supply  Bill  for  the 
expenses  of  the  public  administration  submitted  by 
the  Government. 
To  approve  or  disapprove  a  declaration  of  war  proposed 
by  the  President. 
1/  To  pass  special  temporary  laws  to  restrain  the  liberty 
of  Individuals  or  of  the  press. 


■  NOTE  ON  THE  CHILIAN  CONSTITUTION    311 

B      Art.  XXXVII. — Only  by  virtue  of  a  law  can — 

H  Taxes  be  imposed  or  removed. 

^B  The  expenses  of  administration  be  annually  fixed. 

^K  The  forces  by  land  and  sea  be  regulated  as  to  number. 

^B  Debts  be  contracted,  or  previously-incurred  debts  be 

H  sanctioned. 

■  (Expenses  are  decreed  for  eighteen  months  only,  as  are 
f  likewise  the  land  and  sea  forces  fixed.) 

Art.  LII. — Congress  shall  commence  its  ordinary  sessions 
upon  June  1st  of  each  year,  and  shall  close  them  upon 
September  1st. 

Art.  LIII. — When  convoked  to  an  extraordinary  session, 
Congress  shall  occupy  itself  with  the  business  for  which  it  is 
convoked,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  business. 

Art.  LVII. — Before  concluding  its  ordinary  sessions,' each 
Chamber  of  Congress  shall  annually  elect  seven  members  to 
form  the  Constitutional  Committee^  which  shall  form  a  single 
body,  and  whose  functions  shall  expire  on  the  31st  of  the 
following  May. 

Art.LVIII. — It  is  the  duty  of  the  Constitutional  Committee — 
To  watch  over  the  due  observance  of  the  constitution 

and  of  the  laws. 
To  bring  under  the  President's  notice  such  statements 
as  may  conduce  to  this  object.  And  if  these  state- 
ments hinge  upon  the  evil-doings  of  the  authorities 
immediately  dependent  upon  the  President,  and  he 
shall  not  pay  heed  thereto,  it  shall  be  understood  that 
the  President  and  the  Minister  in  fault  accept  full 
responsibility  for  such  conduct  of  inferior  authorities.^ 
To  give  or  withhold  its  approval  with  respect  to  the 

actions  of  the  President. 
To  request  the  President  to  convoke  Congress  to  extra- 
ordinary sessions  should  circumstances,  in  its  judg- 
ment, render  such  course  necessary. 
To  render  an  account  of  its  stewardship  to  Congress,  to 
which  it  is  responsible. 
Art.  LIX. — A  citizen,  with  the  title  of  *  President  of  the 
KepubHc  of  Chile,'  shall  govern  the  State,  and  is  the  supreme 
chief  of  the  nation. 


k 


312     NOTE  ON  THE  CHILIAN  CONSTITUTION 

Art.  LXI. — The  President  of  the  Eepubhc  shall  continue  in 
the  exercise  of  his  functions  for  a  period  of  five  years,  and 
cannot  be  re-elected  for  the  ensuing  period. 

Art.  LXIII. — The  President  of  the  Eepublic  shall  be  elected 
by  electors  nominated  by  the  people  by  direct  vote.  ^The 
number  of  electors  shall  be  three  times  the  number  of  deputies 
returnable  by  each  department. 

Art.  LXIV. — The  nomination  of  electors  shall  take  place  in 
departments  upon  June  25th  in  the  last  year  of  a  Presidency. 
The  electors  must  possess  deputy-qualifications  {i.e.,  enjoy  all 
rights  of  citizenship  and  of  franchise,  and  have  an  income  of 
at  least  $500  a  year). 

Art.  LXV. — The  electors,  assembled  upon  the  ensuing  28th 
day  of  July,  shall  proceed  to  the  election  of  a  President. 

Art.  LXXX. — The  President-elect,  on  taking  office,  shall 
take  the  following  oath,  in  the  presence  of  his  predecessor  and 
of  both  Houses  of  Congress  :  '  I,  N.  N.,  swear  by  our  Lord 
God  and  the  Holy  Gospels,  that  I  shall  faithfully  discharge 
the  office  of  President  of  the  Eepublic ;  that  I  shall  observe 
and  protect  the  Catholic,  Apostolic,  Eoman  religion  ;  that  I 
shall  maintain  the  integrity  and  independence  of  the  Eepublic, 
and  that  I  shall  safeguard  and  cause  to  be  safeguarded  the 
constitution  and  the  laws.  And  so  may  God  help  me  and  pro- 
tect me ;  and  if  not,  may  He  call  me  to  account.' 

Art.  LXXXI. — To  the  President  of  the  Eepublic  i?  entrusted 
the  administration  and  government  of  the  State ;  and  his 
authority  extends  to  everything  having  for  its  object  the  pre- 
servation of  public  order  internally,  and  the  external  security 
of  the  Eepubhc,  observing  and  enforcing  the  constitution  and 
the  laws. 

Art.  LXXXII. — The  following  are  the  especial  functions  of 
the  President : 

To  take  part  in  making  laws  as  sanctioned  by  the  con- 
stitution ;  to  approve  and  promulgate  them. 
TsL,issue  decrees,  regulations,  and  instructions  which  he 
may  deem  advantageous  towards  the  execution  of 
laws. 
To  prorogue  the  ordinary  sessions  of  Congress  for  a 
period  not  exceeding  fifty  days. 


^^^       POLITICAL  PARTIES  IN  CHILE  313 

tv    To  summon  Congress  to  extraordinary  sessions,  with 

the  approval  of  the  Council  of  State. 

i-^  To   appoint  and   remove   at   his  pleasure  all  Cabinet 

Ministers  and  their  subordinates,  the  Councillors  of 

^k  State  of  his  selection,  Envoys,  Consuls,  and  other 

^B  agents  abroad,  Intendentes  of  provinces,  and  Governors 

^P  of  towns. 

\/To  appoint  the  judges  both  of  higher  and  inferior  courts, 
upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Council  of  State. 
To  dispose  of  the  sea  and  land  forces,  organize  them, 

and  distribute  them  as  he  may  deem  advisable. 
To  declare  one  or  many  places  in  the  Eepublic  in  a 
state  of  siege,  in  case  of  foreign  attack,  with  assent 
of  the  Council  of  State.   (,In  case  of  civil  strife,  such 
declaration  resides  with  Congress ;  but  if  the  latter 
be  not  in  session,  the  President  may  declare  one  or 
more  places  in  a  state  of  siege,  with  assent  of  Council 
of_State,,  and  for  a  specified  time. 
Abt.  LXXXIIl. — The   President  of   the   Eepublic   can  be 
impeached, (only  within  one  year  of  quitting  ofi&ce^for  all  acts 
of  his  administration  in  which  he  may  have  seriously  compro- 
mised the  honour  or  the  security  of  the  State,  or  have  openly 
violated  the  constitution. 

Art.  CII. — There  shall  be  a_Council  of  State  composed  in 
the  following  manner : 

Thrae  members  shall  be  elected  by  the  Senate,  three  by 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  five  by  the  President, 
who  shall  preside  at  the  Council. 

The  other  Articles  need  not  be  quoted,  as  they  do  not  touch 
upon  disputed  grounds. 

PoiiiTicAL  Parties  in  Chile. 

It  has  been  said  that  Chile  has  never  been  a  Republic  in 
aught  save  name.  The  natural  division  of  parties  under  a 
really  Eepublican  regime  would  be  into  Eepublicans  and  Demo- 
crats. In  Chile  the  rival  parties  are  broadly  grouped  as  Con- 
servatives and  Liberals.  [Neither  Conservatives  nor  Liberals 
are  united  in  political  ideas.)    The  former  are  split  into  three 


314 


POLITICAL  PARTIES  IN  CHILE 


Conservatives. 


Liberals. 


<y 


sections ;  the  latter  into  four.  And  these  sections  at  the 
period  of  the  outbreak  of  civil  war  may  be  enumerated  and 
defined  as  follows : 

Montt-Varistas,  who    believed    in  aristo- 
cratic government. 
Glericales,    who     advocated    government 

through  priestly  influence. 
Conserv adores,   who   held    what    may   be 
termed  Conservative   opinions,  without 
,     extreme  views. 

'Liberates  del  Gobierno,  who  approved  Bal- 
maceda's  efforts  to  reconcile  all  shades 
of  Liberal  opinion  by  distributing,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  loaves  and  fishes  of  office 
all  round. 
Nacionales,   who   scouted   this    pohcy  as 
unfair  to  supporters  of  the  old  Liberal 
Party  which  had  returned  him  to  office. 
Sueltos,  i.e.,  Free  Lances  who  went,  each 
faction,  for  its  own  hand.^   Hence  there 
were  as  many  varieties  of  Sueltos  as  dis- 
satisfied leaders  of  cliques. 
Badicales,  who  were   out-and-out  Demo- 
crats,  and   came  to  view  Balmaceda's 
policy  as  (to  quote  Senor  Mclver,  a  well- 
known  public  man)  *  favouring  a  Con- 
^     servative  reaction.' 
In   the   end,  the  Liberates  del  Gobierno  found  the   other 
Liberal  sections  arrayed  against  them  as  well,  of  course,  as 
the  Conservatives.     And  hence  the  political  dead-lock. 


\J 


APPENDIX  A. 


THE  TEANSANDINE  EAILWAY. 

The  traveller  will,  in  the  not  distant  future,  be  spared  the  task 
of  crossing  the  Andes  on  muleback  ;  and  this,  to  many,  will  be 
a  source  of  unmixed  satisfaction.  Those  whose  business  takes 
them  frequently  to  and  from  Buenos  Aires  and  Valparaiso  are 
apt  to  grow  weary  of  the  slow-moving  macho,  and  to  inveigh 
against  the  discomforts  of  the  mountain  posadas.  But  the 
tourist  can  generally  enjoy  a  somewhat  rough  *  outing,' 
provided  it  be  compensated  for  by  sublime  scenery  and  novel 
experiences,  and  to  him  I  speak  words  of  warning:  *  Contrive 
your  trip  within  the  next  two  years,  or  you  will  miss  the  mule 
part  of  the  programme,  and  be  unable  to  narrate  to  your 
grandchildren  how  you  crossed  the  Cordillera '  (for  the  railway 
is  going  through,  not  over,  the  highest  peaks).  To  me  it  is 
matter  for  considerable  surprise  that  the  trip  across  the  South 
American  continent  so  seldom  enters  into  the  plans  of  my 
globe  -  trotting  fellow  -  countrymen,  nor  have  I  the  slightest 
hesitation  in  afl&rming  that  no  one  could  ever  return  dis- 
appointed from  such  a  tour.  The  difficulties  and  dangers 
which  formerly  existed  have  disappeared  before  the  skill  and 
energy  of  the  engineer,  and  perhaps  were  the  route  more 
generally  known,  more  travellers  would  enjoy  the  opportunity 
of  beholding  Nature  at  her  grandest  and  most  sublime. 
I  But  it  is  not  only  the  tourist  who  reaps,  and  will  reap, 

■  the  advantages  conferred  by  the  Transandine  Kailway.     The 

■  business  man  and  the  speculator  (ever  upon  the  look-out  for  a 


3i6  APPENDIX  A. 


♦  good  thing ')  also  look  forward  to  the  completion  of  the 
gigantic  undertaking  with  keen  interest.  Indeed,  I  have  been 
asked  more  questions  relative  to  the  progress  and  prospects  of 
the  iron  road,  destined  to  connect  the  Atlantic  with  the 
Pacific,  than  about  even  Balmaceda  and  the  sinking  of  the 
Blanco  Encalada.  And  this  is  why,  in  the  interests  alike  of 
intending  travellers  and  of  intending  investors,  I  append  a 
short  descriptive  account  of  the  enterprise. 

Buenos  Aires  is  nearly  850  miles  distant  from  Valparaiso,  of 
which  760  miles  are  in  Argentina  and  90  miles  in  Chile.  The 
traveller  does  the  first  430  miles  of  the  journey  by  the  Buenos 
Aires  and  Pacific  Eailway,  as  far  as  Villa  Mercedes.  Here  the 
line  of  the  Argentine  Great  Western  commences,  terminating 
at  Mendoza,  220  miles  further  on.  I  At  Mendoza  the  Tran- 
sandine  ascent  commences,  and  for  110  miles  the  line  (not  yet 
completed)  belongs  to  an  English  company,  which  purchased 
the  concession  from  Messrs.  Clark,  still  retaining  the  services 
of  these  gentlemen  as  contractors  for  the  work.  At  the 
Chilian  frontier  this  English  -  owned  section  meets  the  final 
Chilian  section,  which  runs  to  Santa  Eosa  de  Los  Andes,  a 
further  distance  of  40  miles,  and  which  is  still  owned  by  the 
Messrs.  Clark.  From  Santa  Eosa  to  Valparaiso  is  a  distance 
of  nearly  54  miles,  covered  by  the  Chilian  Government  line. 
The  entire  distance  from  ocean  to  ocean  will  consequently  be 
accomplished  by  five  difi'erent  railway  lines.  The  line  to 
Mendoza  has  a  gauge  of  5  feet  6  inches.  The  Transandine  lines 
(Mendoza  to  Los  Andes)  are  3  feet  3  inches  in  gauge.  And  the 
Chilian  Government  gauge  is  5  feet.  So  that  passengers  and 
cargo  will  have  to  be  transferred  twice  on  the  journey. 
I  Mendoza  is  2,376  feet  above  sea -level,  and  Santa  Eosa 
2,704  feet ;  but  the  lowest  pass  between  the  two  towns  attains 
an  altitude  of  12,467  feet,  and  consequently  an  elevation  of 
nearly  10,000  feet  has  to  be  overcome.  To  add  to  the  difficulty, 
the  ascent  from  t^e  Chilian  side  is  three  times  as  steep  as 
upon  the  side  from  Argentina ;  and  it  was  at  first  believed 
that  a  considerable  detour  would  have  to  be  made,  involving, 
probably,  frequent  use  of  the  *  zigzag '  system  adopted  in  New 
South  Wales  in  crossing  the  Blue  Mountains.  But  the  intro- 
duc  tion  of  what  is  known  as  the  *  Abt  '  system  rendered  this 


APPENDIX  A, 


deviation  unnecessary.  This  *  Abt '  system  overcomes  steep 
gradients  by  means  of  a  longitudinal  rack  laid  between  the 
rails  and  strongly  bolted  to  the  sleepers.  The  locomotives  are 
provided  with  toothed  wheels,  which  work  in  this  rack  in  such 
a  manner  that  six  teeth  are  constantly  engaged,  and  a  firm 
grip  thus  secured.  Gradients  as  high  as  8  per  cent,  can  thus 
be  easily  surmounted.  The  *  Abt '  plan  will  be  used  for  a 
distance  of  12  miles  upon  the  Chilian  side,  and  the  last 
10  miles  approaching  the  summit  from  the  Argentine  side. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  the  engineering  difficulties 
upon  a  line  crossing  ranges  abounding  in  mountain  torrents, 
and  passing  an  altitude  far  above  the  winter  snow  level,  are 
enormous.  Many  large  bridges  of  the  strongest  and  most 
costly  description  have  to  be  provided,  Nature  having, 
however,  supplied  one  (and  an  extraordinary  phenomenon  it 
is)  at  Puente  del  Inca.  v  The  track  has  to  be  of  the  most  solid 
character,  often,  indeed,  a  mere  ledge  cut  out  of  the  mountain 
side.  V  And  the  tunnels  would  long  ago  have  disheartened  less 
daring  pioneers  than  the  Messrs.  Clark.  Of  these  the  longest 
will  be  5,540  yards,  passing  through  the  summit  of  the 
Cordillera,  2,000  yards  below  its  highest  peak,  from  the 
Argentine  side.  Following  this  will  comeUhe  Calavera  tunnel, 
4,100  yards  long,  upon  the  ChiHan  side,  and  then  the  Portillo 
tunnel,  which  will  have  fair  claims  to  be  regarded  as  the  most 
remarkable  example  of  railway  mining  in  the  world.  It  will 
be  1,840  yards  in  length,  in  the  course  of  which  it  will  make  a 
double  spiral  turn,  corkscrew  fashion,  to  overcome  the  exces- 
sively steep  gradients,  one  terminus  being  440  feet  lower  than 
the  other.  Two  other  tunnels,  one  1,395,  and  the  other  1,207, 
yards  long,  will  follow  in  succession  until  El  Juncal  (7,218  feet 
above  sea-level)  is  reached.  When  one  reflects  that  thesejive 
tunnels,  to  say  nothing  of  several  shorter  ones,  mean  per- 
forating more  than  14,000  yards  of  soUd  rock,  one  is  fain  to 
admit  that  the  task  is  a  stupendous  one.  Drilling  has  been 
found  necessary,  and  has  to  be  effected  under  every  possible 
disadvantage.  In  the  great  tunnels  of  Mont  Cenis  and 
St.  Gothard  drilling  machinery  was  also  used,  the  motive 
power  being  air  compressed  by  the  aid  of  steam-engines  and 
water-power.     But  in  the  Andes  absolutely  no  fuel  exists  near 


3x8  APPENDIX  A. 


the  summit,  and  the  cost  of  transport  from  the  nearest  source 
of  supply  would  be  ruinous.  Water-power,  indeed,  exists 
abundantly,  but  at  considerable  distances  from  the  sites  of  the 
proposed  tunnels.  How  utilize  it?  It  has  been  done  by 
adopting  a  system  of  electrical  transmission,  which  has  been 
found  to  answer  admirably.  \ls  there  not  something  grand 
about  modern  science,  which  can  thus  bring  one  great  power  of 
Nature  to  overcome  the  obstacles  thrown  in  the  path  of 
progress  by  Nature  herself?  Ail  the  machinery  had  to  be 
conveyed,  of  course,  on  muleback.  The  weight  of  iron  pipes 
made  it  necessary  to  substitute  steel  ones,  of  20-inch  diameter 
and  of  thicknesses  varying  with  the  pressure  of  different 
portions  of  the  conduit.  The  water,  forced  along  at  consider- 
able pressure  through  these  pipes,  is  used  for  driving  Girard- 
turbines,  each  of  80  horse-power  at  700  revolutions  per 
minute,  and  working  a  dynamo  giving  135  amperes  at  400 
volts.  From  such  installations  the  power  is  transmitted  by 
copper  cables,  specially  insulated,  to  the  points  where  the 
drilling  operations  are  in  progress. 

The  line  is  now  available  from  Mendoza  to  Punta  de  Las 
Vacas.  Upon  my  trip,  it  will  be  remembered,  it  only  went  as 
far  as  Uspallata.  So  that,  actually,  the  only  mule -riding 
involved  is  between  Las  Vacas  and  Juncal,  about  40  miles. 
At  Juncal  a  carriage  may  be  procured  to  Santa  Eosa. 

It  may  be  stated  that  the  Transandine  line  should,  according 
to  first  estimates,  now  be  completed.  But  the  disastrous 
financial  troubles  in  Argentina,  followed  by  the  outbreak  of 
civil  war  in  Chile,  have  so  far  retarded  the  works  that,  at  the 
very  least,  two  years  more  will  be  required  to  finish  them,  the 
tunnels  being  the  chief  source  of  delay,  coupled  with  the  still- 
existing  difl&culties  in  the  way  of  securing  sufficient  capital  to 
press  matters  on  to  completion.  And  here,  naturally,  the 
pertinent  question  arises  :  Will  the  line  pay  ?  One  can  only 
estimate  the  comparative  probabilities. 

When  once  the  Transandine  line  shall  have  been  completed, 
the  systems  which  go  towards  forming  the  Transcontinental 
Eailway  will  enter  into  competition  with  the  sea-route  vid 
Magellan  Straits,  both  as  regards  passengers  and  freight.  ^  At 
present  the  charge  for  a  first-class  fare  by  steamer  from 


APPENDIX  A. 


Buenos  Aires  to  Valparaiso  is  £40,  the  time  occupied  averaging 
fourteen  days.  When  the  railway  is  through,  however,  the 
first-class  fare  would  not  exceed  £10,  of  which  £5  would 
represent  the  sum  paid  to  the  Transandine  lines.  The  time 
would  be  about  sixty  hours,  probably  considerably  less.  Of 
course  the  steamships  would  have  to  lower  their  fares,  but  the 
gain  in  time  would  still  be  an  important  factor  in  favour  of  the 
railway. 

At  present,  as  has  been  stated  elsewhere,  the  Cordillera  is 
passable  for  but  five  months  in  the  year,  during  which  time 
about  8,000  persons  cross  it  on  muleback.  It  may  fairly  be 
assumed  that  this  number  would  be  at  least  doubled  were  the 
Une  completed,  and,  moreover,  the  journey  could  be  performed 
all  through  the  year.  Upon  this  assumption,  about  38,000 
persons  would  cross,  paying  £190,000  per  annum  to  the  Trans- 
andine lines.  Again,  the  cattle  trade  between  Argentina  and 
Chile  {via  Uspallata)  now  aggregates  50,000  head  annually,  the 
losses  suffered  during  the  rough  and  pastureless  Journey  being 
enormous,  and  several  months'  fattening  being  necessary  to  fit 
the  survivors  for  market.  The  railway  will  obviate  these  losses 
and  delays.  It  is  proposed  to  charge  £2  per  head,  so  that,  even 
at  present  numbers,  a  gross  income  of  £100,000  may  fairly  be 
expected  from  this  source. 

It  is  estimated  that  about  2,000  tons  of  goods  will  cross 
monthly  from  Mendoza  to  Santa  Eosa,  and  vice  versa.  This, 
at  £4  per  ton,  should  yield  £96,000  a  year.  Considerable  trafific 
is  also  expected  from  the  silver  and  copper  mines  of  the  Argen- 
tine Andine  provinces.  This,  together  with  carriage  of  produce 
and  sundries,  may  reasonably  be  estimated  at  £30,000  per 
annum.  The  profits  from  mail-service  are  not  taken  into 
account. 

The  total  estimated  gross  earnings  would  thus  amount  to 
£416,000  per  annum,  of  which,  allowing  60  per  cent,  for  work- 
ing expenses,  £166,400  would  represent  net  income.  The 
guaranteed  interest  on  the  preference  share  and  debenture 
capital  amounts  to  £133,870,  leaving  a  credit  margin  of 
£32,530. 

One  other  important  point  remains  to  be  noticed.  The  New 
Zealand  Government  proposes  to  establish  a  mail-service,  vid 


320  APPENDIX  B. 


Magellan  Straits,  with  London,  and  some  time  ago  invited 
tenders  for  the  construction  of  the  necessary  vessels,  yt  would 
obviously  be  more  expedient  to  run  the  mail-ships  between 
New  Zealand  and  Valparaiso,  whereby  not  only  would  trade 
spring  up  between  Australasia  and  South  America,  but,  by 
means  of  the  Transcontinental  railway,  a  saving  of  eight  or  nine 
days  would  be  effected  vici  Buenos  Aires.  It  would,  moreover, 
be  a  pleasant  alternative  route  for  colonists  visiting  England, 
or  for  Englishmen  proceeding  to  the  Australasian  colonies,  and 
would  probably  be  well  patronized. 

Hence  it  would  appear  that,  from  every  point  of  view,  the 
Transandine  Eailway  will  do  good  work,  and  will  start  with 
excellent  prospects  as  the  final  link  between  the  Southern 
Atlantic  and  the  Southern  Pacific.  \Most  assuredly,  if  ever  un- 
daunted courage  in  overcoming  obstacles  deserved  success, 
Messrs.  John  and  Matthew  Clark  should  reap  it  in  full 
measure. 


APPENDIX  B. 

THE  VALUE  OF  TOEPEDOES  IN  NAVAL  WAEFAEE. 

Ever  since  the  introduction  of  the  Whitehead  torpedo  as  a  per- 
fected factor  in  naval  warfare,  expert  opinions  have  differed 
widely  as  to  the  advisability  of  continuing  to  construct  costly 
ironclads,  which  apparently  lie  at  the  mercy  of  these  submarine 
monsters.  The  contest  had  previously  lain  between  size  of 
guns  and  thickness  of  armour-plating,  each  additional  inch  of 
muzzle  diameter  being  met  by  a  corresponding  increase  in 
armour ;  and  as  it  has  been  found  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the 
size  of  guns,  so  far  as  their  effective  working  at  sea  is  con- 
cerned, and  that  this  limit  does  not  exceed  the  potential 
resisting-power  of  a  ship's  sides,  the  advocates  of  heavily- 
armoured  ironclads  held  their  own  in  the  discussion,  and 
floating  fortresses  of  the  'Nile  and  Boyal  Sovereign  types  con- 
tinue to  be  added  to  our  fleet.  But  to  the  potential  destruc- 
tive power  of  the  torpedo  there  is  practically  no  limit ;  the 
most  powerful  war  ship  afloat  would,  if  smitten  fairly  by  one  of 


APPENDIX  B.  321 


these  deadly  missiles,  disappear  under  water  within  a  few 
minutes.  Indeed,  an  ironclad  is  more  at  the  mercy  of  a 
torpedo  than  is  an  unarmoured  vessel,  the  superior  buoyancy 
of  the  latter  offering  at  least  the  chance  of  sufficient  time  to 
save  the  crew. 

The  opponents  of  the  costly,  heavily-armoured  type  of  war 
ship  emphasize  the  folly  of  constructing  a  vessel  costing  three- 
quarters  of  a  million  sterling,  when  three  or  perhaps  four  un- 
armoured and  (so  far  as  torpedoes  are  concerned)  safer  ships 
could  be  built  for  the  same  money.  The  value  of  the  ironclad 
as  a  battleship  against  other  ironclads,  or  against  forts,  is  not 
disputed  ;  but  it  is  held  that  the  risk  incurred  from  torpedoes 
more  than  outweighs  the  fighting  advantages. 

To  this  the  advocates  of  the  armour-plating  system  retort 
that  ironclads  of  the  most  powerful  type  are  absolutely  indis- 
pensable to  a  modern  fleet,  which  without  them  would  be 
powerless  to  act  against  a  hostile  squadron  or  to  come  within 
range  of  a  fort ;  that  the  risk  resulting  from  torpedoes  would 
have  to  be  run  were  it  even  far  greater  than  it  is,  and  that  pre- 
cautions are  available  to  minimise  this  risk. 

There  cannot,  it  would  seem,  be  much  doubt  that  this  latter 
view  is  the  correct  one.  The  idea  of  opposing  a  fleet  of  un- 
armoured ships,  however  numerous,  to  even  a  moderate 
squadron  of  ironclads  is,  upon  the  face  of  it,  preposterous,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  forts.  Armoured  ships  are  essential.  They 
have  a  terrible  and  unseen  foe  to  guard  against ;  but  they  must 
do  it  as  best  they  can,  and  take  their  chance.  Moreover,  that 
chance  is  a  very  much  better  one  than  alarmists  seem  disposed 
to  believe. 

I  think  that  too  much  importance  has  been  attached  to  the 
sinking  of  the  Blanco  Encalada.  The  ill-fated  flag-ship  was 
taken  completely  unawares.  Her  commander  displayed  a  want 
of  caution,  which  many  persons  would  regard  as  criminal  neg- 
ligence. I  may  mention  that  a  telegram  from  me  appeared  in 
the  Times  upon  April  21st,  stating  that  the  Condell,  Lynch,  and 
Imperial  were  starting  to  attack  rebel  ships  in  northern  ports, 
and  that  I  was  accompanying  the  squadron.  This  telegram 
I    was  at  once  repeated  from  London  to  Iquique,  and  appeared  in 

L 


\ 


322  APPENDIX  B. 


\ 


La  Patria  of  that  town  upon  the  22nd.  The  northern  ports 
being  all  in  telegraphic  communication  with  Iquique,  it  is  in- 
conceivable that  the  news  should  not  have  been  sent  along  the 
coast.  ^  Yet  the  commander  of  the  Blanco  (Captain  Gonie)  and 
his  principal  officers  left  the  ship  anchored  in  Caldera  Bay, 
without  netting,  without  patrol-launch,  without  even  her 
electric  search-light  in  use,  to  enjoy  themselves  at  a  banquet 
given  on  shore  in  honour  of  Seiior  Jorje  Montt's  saint's  day. 
A  very  sad  St.  George's  day  it  proved,  when,  at  early  dawn,  the 
flagship  went  down  with  well-nigh  all  hands  on  board.  And, 
even  despite  this  gross  carelessness,  her  crew  had  timely 
warning  of  the  presence  of  the  Condell,  upon  which  they  opened 
a  fire  sufficiently  hot  to  have  driven  her  off  without  having  suc- 
ceeded in  her  object ;  but  they  never  thought  of  looking  for 
her  consort,  the  Lynch,  upon  the  other  side,  which  vessel, 
stopping  dead-short  at  pistol-range,  launched  the  torpedo  which 
did  the  work  of  destruction.  Surely  this  cannot  be  accepted 
as  a  fair  test  of  ironclad  against  torpedo  vessel,  or  as  a  prece- 
dent for  the  future.  With  the  example  of  the  Blanco  Encalada 
before  their  eyes,  few  captains,  it  may  be  assumed,  are  likely 
to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Captain  Gonie. 

Two  points  are  especially  worthy  of  note  in  connection  with 
this  Caldera  affair.  *  Torpedoes,  unless  very  skilfully  handled, 
are  very  uncertain  in  their  action.  The  first  one  discharged 
from  the  Lynch  went  straight  to  the  bottom ;  the  second 
steered  wide;  the  third  (No.  811,  I  think  it  was)  had  always 
borne  a  bad  name  at  practice,  but  on  this  occasion  behaved 
admirably.  Of  three  torpedoes  discharged  from  the  Co7idellf 
all  missed  the  mark,  most  likely  because  the  Condell  was 
travelling  when  they  were  sent.  To  insure  accuracy  of  aim  it 
would  seem  that  both  torpedo  vessel  and  ship  should  be  sta- 
tionary ;  but  this,  like  snipe  shooting,  may  be  merely  a  matter 
of  skill  and  practice,  of  which  neither  Moraga  nor  Fuentes  had 
had  much. 

As  regards  beating  off  or  sinking  the  attacking  boat  or  boats, 
it  is,  on  the  other  hand,  fair  to  note  that  the  Condell  and  Lynch 
were  doing  work  for  which  they  were  not  originally  intended. 
Both  are  torpedo-catchers^ that  is,  vessels  designed  to  protect 
ships  from  torpedo-boats,  not  themselves  to  attack  ships>   At 


APPENDIX  B.  323 


I 


torpedo  range  (limited  to  600  yarda,  and  very  uncertain  at  more 
than  half  that  distance)  they  offered  a  target  for  the  Blanco's 
guns,  which  the  diminutive  torpedo-boat  proper  would  not  have 
afforded.  It  seems  probable,  indeed,  that  a  man-of-war  could 
not  safely  rely  upon  her  guns  against  a  simultaneous  attack 
by  several  of  these  deadly  launches. 

A  war  of  words  is  now  raging  between  torpedo  makers  and 
those  who  manufacture  the  anti-torpedo  metal  netting,  de- 
signed to  encircle  a  ship  crinoline-wise.  Torpedists  claim  to 
have  overcome  the  netting  by  increasing  the  velocity  of  the 
torpedo,  and  by  providing  it  with  a  projecting  knife  capable 
of  severing  the  strongest  crinoline  now  in  use.  Whereto  the 
netting  makers  reply  that  the  crinoline  can  be  increased  to 
any  required  degree  of  strength.  In  this  dispute  the  tor- 
pedists have  apparently  the  best  of  it,  since  there  must  be  a 
near  limit  to  the  weight  of  the  netting  with  which  a  ship  could 
hamper  herself,  whereas  it  is  not  easy  to  foresee  where  the 
penetrating  power  of  a  torpedo  will  stop.  Nets,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  will  ere  long  be  of  little  value. 

The  success  attending  the  attack  made  by  the  Lynch  and 
Condell  has  naturally  directed  considerable  attention  towards 
vessels  of  this  type.  Here,  again,  opinions  differ.  Most  of 
the  British  naval  officers  whom  I  consulted  appeared  to  view 
them  with  something  very  like  contempt.  The  notion  of  a 
British  war  ship  being  in  any  dread  of  a  couple  of  torpedo- 
catchers  was  very  generally  scouted.  They  were,  I  was  often 
assured,  useful  merely  as  a  sort  of  police-boat,  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  for  and  sink  torpedo-launches ;  and  had  they  to  deal 
with  the  Warspite  or  the  Champion,  they  would  very  soon  dis- 
appear from  the  scene.  Upon  the  other  hand,  Captain  Schley  / 
and  most  of  the  officers  of  the  Baltimore  held  the  two  vessels 
in  high  estimation,  averring  that,  with  their  speed  and  destruc- 
tive power,  they  should,  in  resolute  hands,  give  a  good  account 
of  a  hostile  squadron. 

To  me,  personally,  it  seemed  rashness,  justifiable  only  by 
necessity,  to  employ  them,  as  they  were  employed,  for  attack- 
ing purposes.  They  appeared  to  be  mere  boxes  of  delicate 
and  complicated  machinery,  which  was  continually  in  immi- 
nent danger   of  breaking   down.     Their   steam-tubes   needed 


324  APPENDIX  B. 


repairs  after  every  trip.  The  chief  engineer  of  the  Condell 
told  me  that  he  never  knew  at  what  moment  enough  of  these 
tubes  would  burst  to  leave  the  vessel  like  a  duck  with  a  broken 
wing.  At  Caldera,  although  none  of  the  Blanco's  shots  struck 
her,  the  concussion  caused  by  replying  with  her  own  Hotchkiss 
guns  burst  sufficient  pipes  to  reduce  her  speed  to  seven  or  eight 
knots  an  hour.  Outside  Pisagua,  in  the  encounter  previously 
spoken  of  with  the  Huascar  and  Magellanes,  her  engines  had 
to  be  stopped  before  it  was  deemed  safe  to  fire.  sBoth  the 
Condell  and  the  Lynch  had,  it  is  true,  been  very  badly  handled 
since  the  English  engineers  left  them  at  Buenos  Aires;  but 
surely  bran-new  vessels  intended  for  warfare  ought  to  be  able 
to  stand  rough  usage  for  a  few  mpnths,  at  all  events.  And 
machinery  which  is  liable  to  break  down  when  guns  are  dis- 
charged is,  as  one  would  suppose,  sadly  out  of  place  in  a  war 
vessel. 

But  apart  from  this,  and  given  the  most  skilful  engineering, 
it  is  not  clear  where  the  advantage  of  this  class  of  torpedo-boat 
may  be  assumed  to  lie.  As  mere  torpedo-catchers  they  are 
unnecessarily  large,  since  one  torpedo-launch  can  perfectly 
well  tackle  another.  Moreover,  they  are  themselves  fitted 
with  torpedo-tubes.  Is  it  proposed  to  sink  torpedo-launches 
by  means  of  torpedoes  ?  If  so,  the  idea  has  never  yet  been 
formulated,  nor  does  it  seem  to  be  a  very  sensible  one. 
"^~>As  fighting-ships,  they  are  little  better  than  floating  coffins. 
They  are,  of  course,  unarmoured,  and  it  would  6e  difficult  for 
a  shot  to  strike  one  of  them  without  smashing  up  some  of  the 
ubiquitous  steam-gear  or  machinery.  Should  a  missile  hit  one 
of  the  five  torpedoes,  which,  with  their  tubes,  take  up  consider- 
able space  on  deck,  the  vessel  would  at  once  be  hoisted  with 
her  own  petard.  Taken  all  round,  a  more  unsatisfactory  way 
of  risking  one's  life  than  cruising  in  a  torpedo-catcher  in  war- 
time, I  cannot  well  imagine. 

It  was  never  made  clear  to  me  why  some  use  was  not 
made  of  the  three  regular  torpedo-boats  or  launches  lying 
throughout  the  war  in  Valparaiso.  A  torpedo  discharged 
from  the  Aldea  or  the  Qicale  would  be  just  as  deadly  as  one 
fired  from  the  Condell,  whilst  from  their  small  size,  their  high 
rate  of  speed,  and  their  flushness  with  the  water,  they  would 


APPENDIX  B, 


I 

I 


» 


have  offered  an  extremely  difficult  target  for  a  ship's  guns. 
So  far  as  I  could  make  out,  they  were  kept  in  port  in  order 
to  protect  it  from  attack;  but  this  did  not  seem  necessary, 
because,  in  the  first  place,  the  forts  were  numerous  enough 
and  powerful  enough  to  have  blown  the  entire  rebel  fleet  out 
of  the  water;  in  the  second  place,  a  bombardment  of  Val- 
paraiso, even  if  practicable,  would  have  chiefly  damaged  the 
property  of  sympathisers  with  the  revolution;  and  lastly, 
the  shipping  was  entirely  foreign  owned.  Just  before  starting 
upon  the  third  cruise  up  north,  a  petition,  signed  by  several 
officers  of  the  torpedo-catchers  and  of  the  Imperial,  was  sent 
to  the  President,  asking  that  at  least  the  Aldea  might  be 
allowed  to  accompany  the  squadron,  manned  by  volunteers. 
But  the  request  was  not  complied  with. 

In  this  connection,  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  torpedo-boats 
are  not  intended  for  service  out  of  port,  although  men-of-war 
carry  launches  fitted  with  torpedo-tubes,  for  use  should  occa- 
sion offer.  Vessels  of  the  Aldea  type  cannot,  with  crammed 
bunkers,  carry  more  than  eight  to  ten  hours'  coal,  and  would 
run  considerable  risk  of  being  swamped  in  a  heavy  sea.  But 
north  of  Coquimbo  heavy  seas  are  almost  unknown,  and  to 
Goquimbo  the  Aldea  might  have  been  towed  by  the  Bnperial^ 
choosing  fair  weather  for  the  run.  Once  in  calm  northern 
waters,  the  torpedo-boat  might,  keeping  in  touch  with  the 
Imperial,  have  lain  in  wait  for  outgoing  ironclads  at  night, 
or  have  paid  nocturnal  visits  to  ports  with  possibly  destructive 
results. 

The  limited  coal  space  and  unseaworthiness  of  small  torpedo 
vessels  have  apparently  caused  them  to  be  relegated  almost 
entirely  to  coast  and  harbour  defence.  \  Modern  battleships 
are  fitted  with  torpedo  gear,  and  are  expected  to  do  their 
own  torpedo  work.  If,  however,  we  draw  a  mental  picture 
of  a  modern  naval  battle,  it  is  impossible  to  overlook  the  enor- 
mous advantage  which  the  assistance  of  a  flotilla  of  torpedo- 
boats  would  bring  to  the  side  owning  them.  Such  a  flotilla 
could  not  accompany  a  squadron  to  any  considerable  distance 
from  shore,  in  the  turbulent  seas  of  the  northern  hemisphere ; 
the  boats  would  need  to  be  carried,  and  only  launched  during 
an  engagement.     The  only  way  to  accomplish  this  would  be  by 


326  APPENDIX  B. 


constructing  a  torpedo-boat  store-ship  of  considerable  speed, 
capable,  at  the  right  moment,  of  discharging  a  flotilla  of  the 
destructive  launches.     The  construction  of  such  a  vessel  pre- 
sents no  difficulty.  \The  only  subject  for  wonder  is  that  it  is 
not  already  in  existence,  if,  indeed,  the  Vulcan  may  not  claim 
to  be  such  a  ship.     The  presence  of  such  a  flotilla  would  place 
the  enemy's  ships  in  a  situation  of  peril,  from  which  escape 
would  seem  to  be  impossible.     For  the  crews  of  the  torpedo- 
boats  the  service  would  be  one  of  extreme  danger  also.     A 
proportion  —  possibly   a    large    proportion — of    the   launches 
would  be  sunk,  but  some  of  them  would  assuredly  get  within 
torpedo  range,  and  would  dearly  avenge  their  consorts.     It 
would  be  desperate,  almost  forlorn  hope,  work,  but  such  con- 
siderations do  not  weigh  one  single  grain  in  modern  warfare, 
and  the  race  of  naval  heroes  is  not  yet  extinct.     Torpedo  work 
must  infallibly  be  the  especial  field  for  the  reckless,  dare-devil 
element  in  a  navy  which  in  former  times  used  to  man  the  boats 
in  *  cutting-out '  operations.     Given  a  torpedo,  the  means  of 
launching  it,  and  the  knowledge  that  if  the  missile  but  strikes 
an  enemy's  ship  that  ship  is  doomed,  and,  unless  the  records 
of  the  past  wholly  belie  the  exploits  of  the  future,  the  task 
will,  over   and  over  again,  be   accomplished.    \Englishmen, 
thank  God,  have  never  been  backward  where  danger  was  to  be 
incurred  and  glory  won,  and  our  gallant  tars  are  little  likely  to 
fall  astern  of  the  heroic  traditions  of  the  service?   But  let  not 
England,  on  that  account,  rely  too  much  upon  the,  at  best, 
uncertain  results  of  individual  pluck  acting  upon  the  spur  of 
,  an  emergency.     Let  her  realize  that  torpedoes  are  essentially 
the  weapons  ^  best  fitted  for  the  hands  of  absolutely  fearless 
men,  and  that  the  greatest  danger  which  threatens  her  mari- 
time superiority  lies   encased  in  the  terrible   tubes.      A  few 
store-ships,  each  one  carrying  a  small  flotilla,  could  not  fail  to 
play  an  important  part  in  the  offensive  and  defensive   naval 
operations  of   the  future,  and  should  be  constructed  without 
delay.     The  manning  of    torpedo-boats   should,  furthermore, 
be  recognised  as  service  of   special   danger,  and  volunteers, 
therefore,  would  be  fairly  entitled  to  extra  pay  and  privileges. 


APPENDIX  a  327 


APPENDIX  C. 

CHILIAN  CHARACTEEISTICS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

As  a  race,  the  Chilians  may  fairly  be  said  to  take  the  lead 
amongst  the  nations  of  South  America,  a  fact  which  may  be 
traced  to  several  clear  and  well-marked  causes.  Their  ances-'' 
tors,  centuries  ago,  came  chiefly  from  the  hardiest  of  the  Spanish 
communities,  the  Basques  and  Biscayans ;  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  the  western  sea-board  of  the  continent  were, 
perhaps,  the  most  indomitable,  virile  tribes  of  which  Ameri '  m 
history  furnishes  a  record,  the  famed  Araucanians,  anc'  h 
them  the  early  settlers  intermarried  freely ;  the  moun'  is 
character  of  the  country  itself  tended  to  beget  those  '  es 

of  physical  vigour  and  sturdy  independence  distinctr  ill- 

dwellers   all  the  world    over;  the    chmate,   temp  and 

bracing,  did  not  favour  those  habits  of  indolence  r  less- 

ness  so  distinctive  of  the  Spanish  races  in  wan  ler  regions ; 
the  very  soil,  fruitful  under  good  husbandry,  ^5[as  not  of  the 
sort  which  ^tickled  with  a  hoe,  laughs  with  a  harvest'?^  And 
thus,  from  fathers  to  sons,  the  Chilians  have  been  an  indus- 
trious, manly,  frugal  peoplel  The  epithet  commonly  and 
lovingly  bestowed  by  them  upon  their  native  land  speaks  for 
itself :  '  Poor  Chile '  {pobre  Chile). 

Chilians  are  essentially  good-natured  and  hospitable.     It  is 
rare  to  hear  ill-natured  remarks  made,  even  by  girls  speaking 
about  other  girls.     For  instance,  the  word  '  ugly  '  (Jeo)  is  never 
used  with  respect  to  human  beings,  and  our  term  '  plain  '  has 
no  exact  equivalent.     Where  it  is  clearly  impossible  to  describe 
a  person  as  handsome,  he  or  she  is  spoken  of  as  *  very  sym- 
pathetic'    Almost  all  the  young  ladies  of  my  acquaintance 
were  wont  to  refer  to  each  other  as  muy  simpatica,  in  a  sort 
of  interrogative  fashion  ;\ whereto  I,  knowing  the  unwisdom  of 
praising  one  daughter  of  Eve  in  presence  of  another,  used  to 
assent  with   an   ambiguous   smile:;^    Nor   did  it   add   to  my 
I        personal  vanity  to  overhear  myself  mentioned,  a  dozen  times 
K        in  the  course  of  an  hour,  as  '  muy  simpatica  '  also  !    But  then 
1        I  deserved  it,  and  the  pretty  girls  didn't. 


» 


328  APPENDIX  a 


When  a  native  has  emphasized  the  fact  that  he  is  Ghileno, 
further  evidence  of  his  excellence  is  held  to  be  superfluous ; 
which  is  my  mild  way  of  hinting  that  Chilians  have  an  un- 
commonly good  opinion  of  themselves)  But,  after  all,  is  not 
this  common  to  all  peoples  ?  I  don't  think  that  Englishmen, 
at  all  events,  are  very  backward  on  this  score,  even  admitting 
the  satire  in  H.M.S.  Pinafore  to  be  unduly  severe.  Besides, 
the  Ghileno  is  quite  ready  to  admit  the  existence  of  good 
qualities  in  foreigners,  andXhe  has  a  very  especial  admiration 
for  the  English.*  The  names  of  Lord  Cochrane,  O'Higgins, 
Lynch,  McKenna,  etc.,  are  held  in  high  honour  as  those  of 
distinguished  founders  of  Chilian  greatness ;  whilst  our  great 
naval  heroes  are  almost  as  famous  in  Valparaiso  as  in  London. 
I  had  frequently  heard  the  statement  questioned,  before  I 
visited  Chile,  as  to  the  bona  fides  of  the  Chilian  boast,  that 

*  they  are  the  English  of  the  South.'  I  made  it  a  point  to 
verify  this  as  often  as  I  could,  and  the  almost  unfailing  reply 
was :  Es  cierto,  sefior ;  somos  los  ingUses  del  Sur.  Sundry 
U.S.   scribes    have   attempted    to    substitute   *  Yankees '   for 

*  English  ;'  but  I  do  not  think  that  the  officers  and  crew  of 
the  Baltimore  would  endorse  the  amendment.  It  is  a  note- 
worthy fact  that  children  of  English  parentage,  born  in  Chile, 
are  (in  exact  analogy  with  the  historical  precedent  of  early 
English  settlers  in  Ireland)  Chilenis  Chileniores. 

Implicit  confidence  in  the  future  of  the  little  Eepublic  is  an 
article  of  national  faith.  -^That  Bolivia  and  Peru  must  sooner 
or  later  be  annexed  is  regarded  as  inevitable,  as  also  that  a 
slice  of  Argentine  territory  (the  provinces  of  Mendoza  and  San 
Juan,  for  choice),  and,  at  least,  a  fair  moiety  of  Patagonia  will 
some  day  follow  suit.  (National  ambition  is,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed, the  natural  outcome  of  national  self-confidence. 
\  Education  is  held  in  deservedly  high  esteem  by  those  of 
more  advanced  and  modern  views ;  (whilst  by  the  Conservatives 
and,  above  all,  by  the  Clericals  it  is  regarded  with  considerable 

*  Into  no  foreign  language  with  which  I  am  acquainted  can  the  word 
British,  used  as  a  noun,  be  translated.  The  Welshman,  Scotchman,  Irish- 
man, or  Colonial,  becomes  an  Englishman  as  soon  as  his  foot  toucltea 
alien  soil.  N^ritish  is  reserved  exclusively  for  home  consumption,  unless, 
indeed,  we  admit  the  Americanism  *  Britisher '  as  a  semi-f  oreigu  modification 
of  the  rule. 


APPENDIX  C, 


329 


I 


I 


distrust,  as  being  radically  inconsistent  with  Governments^ 
the  classes /or  the  masses)  So  far  as  the  bulk  of  the  people  is 
concerned,  education  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  taken  strong 
root ;  but  the  higher  classes  are,  as  a  rule,  remarkably  well- 
informed.  As  one  result  of  this,  political  controversy  is  con- 
fined to  the  latter,  and  in  perhaps  no  other  country  is  it  more 
freely  indulged  in.  Chilians  of  all  classes  love  argument,  from 
the  roto,  who  affects  the  argumentum  ad  hominem  pointed  by 
his  ready  cuchillo,  to  the  Senator,  who  is  never  so  happy  as 
when  he  is  denouncing  a  political  opponent,  or  expounding  his 
views  of  national  progress.  , 

Judged  from  an  English  stand-point,  [  women  must  be 
regarded  as  occupying  a  backward  position.  National  usage 
tends  to  deprive  them  of  all  liberty  of  action;  Hampered  by 
an  extremely  severe  code  of  etiquette,  the  Chilian  young  lady 
has  but  few  chances  of  studying  that  most  interesting  of  all 
subjects  to  the  female  mind — the  male  sex.  She  sees,  and  is 
seen  by  her  father's  guests ;  but  courtship  must  be  carried  on 
in  a  roomful  of  people  ;  a  solitude  h  deux  would  be  regarded 
as  a  scandalous  impropriety.  English  girls  resident  in  Chile 
are  working  manfully  to  emancipate  their  dark-eyed  sisters, 
and,  as  there  are  signs  of  lawn-tennis  coming  into  vogue, 
perhaps  freer  times  are  in  store  for  the  pretty  senoritas. 
They  make,  however,  admirable  wives  and  mothers  under  the 
existing  social  code  ;  and  the  absence  of  the  independence,  not 
to  say  audacity,  of  the  modern  Englishwoman,  is  not  without 
a  certain  charm  of  its  own.  \The  Chilian  women  are  the  back- 
bone of  the  church,  as,  indeed,  women  appear  to  be  in  other 
countries.  The  average  Chilian  seldom  troubles  to  put  in 
appearance  at  church  ;  but  his  womankind  must  go,  and  that 
too  under  most  depressing  millinery  conditions.  Bonnets  are 
absolutely  prohibited,  being  replaced,  for  church-going  occa- 
sions, by  the  black  7nanta,  a  shawl  worn  hood-fashion  upon 
the  head  and  long  enough  to  conceal  the  dress.  Of  this  manta 
it  is  difficult  to  speak  in  terms  of  reprobation  too  strong. 
Perhaps  the  assurance  that  it  makes  a  pretty  girl  plain,  and 
a  plain  girl  downright  ugly,  will  be  deemed  sufficient.  It 
certainly  reduces  church-goers  of  whatever  rank  to  the  same 
sumptuary  level,  and  may,  for  that  reason,  be  of  value  in 


330  APPENDIX  C. 


increasing  the  attendance.  But  why  Chihan  ladies,  who  upon 
all  other  occasions  dress  elegantly  enough,  should  consent  to 
descend  to  the  level  of  their  kitchen-maids  upon  Sunday,  I 
could  never  understand.  N^trangest  of  all,  Chilians  admire,  or 
profess  to  admire,  this  fearsome  garment.  Perhaps  if  the 
jpadres  could  persuade  men  to  wear  the  national  poncho  upon 
the  Lord's  Day,  they  also  would  attend  the  services.  Of  the 
clergy,  by  the  way,  I  know  nothing  except  that  common  report 
does  not  credit  them  with  the  possession  of  all  the  apostolic 
virtues. 

The  houses  are  built  in  the  old-fashioned  Spanish  style,  the 
rooms  being  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  quadrangle  round  a  court- 
yard called  the  patio.  For  tropical  climates  this  plan  answers 
well  enough,  but  for  Chile  the  English  system  would  answer 
far  better.  In  particular,  Chilian  architects  do  not  recognise 
the  necessity  for  windows  to  every  room,  and  absolutely  ignore 
fire-places.  Hence  it  is  customary  in  the  winter-time  to  dine 
in  overcoats  and  furs  ;  and  I  have  known  a  lady  excuse  herself 
from  playing  upon  a  three-hundred  guinea  pianoforte  in  a  most 
palatially  furnished  drawing-room,  upon  the  ground  that  her 
fingers  were  numbed  with  cold.  ^The  universal  belief  is  that 
fires  are  most  unwholesom^.  And  every  time  I  quoted  English 
experience  to  the  contrary,  I  was  met  by  the  retort :  *  Yes,  but 
then  everyone  knows  that  half  the  people  in  England  die  of 
consumption  !* 

One  soon  gets  used  to  Chilian  cooking,  which,  indeed,  is 
rapidly  becoming  Gallicised.  Of  specially  Chilian  dishes, 
which  one  meets  everywhere  and  always,  may  be  mentioned 
cazuela,  a  chicken  broth  flavoured  with  many  vegetables ; 
puchero,  boiled  beef ;  and  porotos  (called  in  Spain  judias), 
hsi^icot-beans,  which  latter  are  the  staple  food  of  the  peasantry 
and  labourers^  In  good  houses  the  minus  are  of  inordinate 
length,  and  that  guest  must  be  hard  indeed  to  please  who 
cannot  find  at  least  half-a-dozen  dishes  to  his  taste.  Sweets 
are  served  in  great  variety,  i,  Chilian  wines  are  excellent/  I 
recall  one  called  Urmeneta,  a  hock  of  rich  flavour  and  bouquet, 
as  of  exceptional  merit.  A  liquor  called  Chicha,  a  sort  of  wine- 
cider  or  unclarified  champagne,  is  much  esteemed  as  being 
very  wholesome.     It  is,  at  all  events,  very  strong.     Pisco,  a 


APPENDIX  C. 


I 


white-grape  brandy,  is  the  best  of  the  locally-made  alcoholic 
beverages.  There  would  seem  to  be  a  great  future  in  store  for 
the  Chilian  wine-industry.  But,  of  course,  even  there,  the 
European  vintages  hold  their  own  as  vins  de  luxe.  y. 

To  sum  up.  I  do  not  think  it  possible  for  a  healthy  and 
healthily-minded  traveller  to  carry  awajjr  with  him  aught  save 
good  opinions  of  Chile  and  the  Chilians, [and  he  must  be  indeed 
sadly  antipatico  if  he  fail  to  leave  behind  him  many  and 
sincere  friend^  My  best  wishes  will,  at  all  events,  ever  be 
forthcoming  for  the  future  prosperity  of  the  bonny  little 
Eepublic,  a  prosperity  well-assured,  if  the  Chilians  themselves 
will  but  bear  in  mind  that  political  intrigues  are  death-blows 
to  national  welfare,  and  that  he  is  the  true  patriot  who 
sacrifices  personal  ambition  upon  the  shrine  of  the  public  good. 
Let  but  the  countless  factions  of  political  parties  disappear  or 
harmonize,  and  it  will  be  possible  with  a  well-grounded  feeling 
of  hopefulness  to  re-echo  the  national  cry,  Viva  Chile  ! 


THE     END. 


BILI.INO   AND   SOKS,    PRINTERS,  GUILDrORD. 


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